Devil Ärms: StarS
by Harouki
Summary: As the sole wielder of the Devil Ärms he returns to Earth under the watch of the TSAB. However, his future is clouded and catches up to him. OCxCC.
1. Graduation

Author's Notes:

YO! Here's the sequel I promised ya! Only 1 week wait! I will be trying a lot of new things in this story so please deal with me for this slow start. It will, like the prequel, pick up somewhere down the way...

* * *

**Chapter 1: Graduation**

A crowded gymnasium filled with third years all waiting for this ceremony to finish so they can move on with their lives. I feel sorry for the teachers, they have to go through this every three years…how boring…

After I returned from Mid-Childa I went back to my ordinary school life. Cleaning up letters falling out of my shoe locker, being chased by angry and jealous male classmates, beating up those same classmates, acing all my tests and now graduating from high school. Yep, it's all the same old thing for me.

I'd rather be out training at Section 6 with everyone than be here…well that wasn't possible as Section 6 has disbanded and everyone went their separate ways. I wonder how they're doing?

"Kimura! Kimura Yuuki!"

"Y-yes!"

I walked up to the stage and accepted my diploma from my homeroom teacher. Half way done…now to just wait for the other 200 students…

--

"Oh Yeah! It's great to be able to stand up again!"

Out in the courtyard, there was a ton of families, friends and colleagues congratulating their graduate students. I wonder where my family is?

"Senpai!" Someone was calling out to me

"Hmm? Oh, if it isn't Shou."

Aizawa Shou, my Kouhai two years younger than me. He's the guy that got me into anime in the first place, and I can't thank him enough for that. He's a little on the short side and he tends to be overly polite but he's a pretty cool guy.

"Congratulations on your graduation, Yuu-Senpai!" he said as he bowed at me.

"Heh, like it was ever a problem for me!" I said, puffing up my chest. "Good looks, good brains, good muscles, I'm the epitome of a man's desires!"

SMACK!

A sharp blow to the head sends me to my knees.

"Too bad your ego is bigger than the entire planet!" That voice…it has to be…

"Ah, Kasumi-senpai, congratulations on your graduation!" Shou said bowing to her as well.

"Thanks, Shou-kun."

"Damn it…why do I have to get hit by you even on graduation day?" I asked as I stood up.

"Graduation should be considered like any normal day for us" she said as she waved her hand in the air. "Oh and thanks for the pearls, they're really nice, but I really didn't expect such an extravagant graduation present" She indicated the bracelet on her wrist.

"Heh, you owe me a graduation present now."

"You two really get along, don't you?" Shou asked.

"That's because…!" Kasumi wrapped her arm around my neck.

"The two of us are…!" I did the same to her

"Best friends!"

"Hahaha…" All Shou could do was laugh at the embarrassing way we were presenting ourselves.

--

"Are your parents coming?" Shou asked as the three of us were lying under the shade of a tree.

"I already met mine," Kasumi said. "They wanted to go celebrate but I wanted to hang around here for a little longer."

"Mine are coming right now," I said. "My dad said that the car had a flat on the way here."

"I see…and why did you want to stay here Kasumi-senpai?"

"I don't know…sentimental feelings perhaps?"

"Come on, it's not a if we'll never come back again…not like other places…" I sighed as I said this.

Kasumi glanced over at me and sighed as well.

"You're right…"

"There you guys go again…where exactly did you go over the break?"

The two of us kept it a secret from everyone on earth. We'll who'd believe that we were abducted by aliens and forced into their military that ran with magic to combat a terrorist organization that used cyborgs as their main force?

"Like we said, we went out of the country," I said as I flipped over on my side.

"But where exactly?"

I didn't answer him. Sorry Shou, but I don't really know how to answer you.

"Then at least tell me who that girl was in that picture with you! Did you pick up a foreign girl?"

"Hey…don't delude your mind with anime plots," I said flipping myself back on my back. "It was a short relationship anyway…"

"Because you had to come back, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah…I didn't really plan on getting a girlfriend but…it just happened."

"I thought you'd go for Kasumi-senpai for sure…"

"Hey, I only think of Yuu as a friend, or something like a brother, nothing more!" She said quickly.

"I see…but if you have a girlfriend already then why don't you tell all those girls who are watching us over there?"

"HUH?!"

I sat up quickly and saw a mob of girls looking over here. They started to chat with one another for a bit before rushing at us.

"Crap! Got to run!"

I picked up my diploma and headed in the opposite direction.

"Senpai…even though you are in an enviable position…you really have it tough…" I heard Shou say as I dashed off.

--

"Did you find him?"

"No…"

"Maybe he went back to the gate?"

"Let's check inside the building again!"

Damn it…why won't you crazy girls leave me alone…?

I'm on a ledge on the third floor of the school building. At least I could use some of my training from Mid-Childa on Earth.

I slowly climbed down before anyone could come into the classroom and see me. I just want this day to end and go home.

However, as I managed to get my foot onto the second floor ledge…

"What are you doing?"

"AHH!" I lost my footing and fell off the ledge. Luckily, I landed in a nearby tree…but the branches were weak and couldn't support my weight, so they snapped and I landed on my butt on the ground.

"Are you okay?" The person asked as they extended a hand out to me. It was a girl I hadn't seen around here before…and believe me when I say that that is unusual.

"Y-yeah…I'm used to getting hurt so this is nothing…"

I grabbed their hand and stood up.

She was wearing a middle school uniform that I am not familiar with and her hair was only down to her shoulders.

"Is it normal to climb the building at this school?" She asked as I brushed my clothes off.

"No…only when the stairs are blocked off."

"I see…should I hope that they're never blocked?"

"Yes, you should."

"Because if they were blocked…I would have to climb the wall?"

"Yep, it's going to be very tough."

"Then I should practice now…"

"Yes you should…wait…what?"

I looked up and noticed that she was standing on one of the windowsills and was trying to get a grip on one of the columns.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?"

"Practicing…"

"Um…it was just a joke…"

"I see…well then…I must be going."

She hopped down from the column, bowed to me and walked towards the front gate. Is she going to be a new student? Whatever, that doesn't concern me.

I carefully made my way through the back yard of the school towards the courtyard again, avoiding the many predators that are searching for me.

I stuck to the outer edges of the school, using the bushes and trees to camouflage myself. I even held two branches out in front of me to help with my disguise.

"Senpai?"

"WAH!!"

I screamed and turned around.

"The hell…it's only you Shou?"

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't scream at my face like that, Senpai…" he said as he rubbed his ears.

"Sorry…I thought you were one of my many stalkers," I said as I hid carefully stood up from my bush.

"Oh…it's the wall climbing person…"

"Huh?"

I looked behind Shou to see that gullible girl.

"Oh, this is Aizawa Ayumi…my cousin," Shou explained. "She's going to be starting here next semester."

"How do you do?" she asked as she bowed to me again.

"Uh…fine, thanks."

This airheaded, sleepy-eyed girl is really…how should I put this…creeping me out…

"Oh yeah I just remembered. Your parents are looking for you at the front gate."

"Thanks Shou, I owe you one."

"Not at all."

"Um…can I ask you another favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can you follow me to the front gate so I can use you as a barricade to fend off those lady wolves?"

"Request denied."

"Damn…"

--

I quickly moved through the bushes and found myself at the front gate. I saw my dad's car and walked over to it. My parents were talking with Kasumi and another person. Their back was facing me so I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. But looking at the figure…I could say that it was a girl.

She was dressed in a black jacket with a blue stripe across the back and jeans. She was also wearing a cap on her head.

She was holding onto my sister's wheelchair and was happily chatting with my family. Who the heck is she?

"Ah! Onii-chan!" Sakura called as she turned around and saw me.

Everyone but the girl also looked at me. For some reason Kasumi was beaming as she walked towards me.

"Looks we're even," she said as she wrapped her arm around my neck.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"My graduation present for you just came. Hey, turn around so he can see you!"

The girl turned around and my heart nearly stopped beating. She smiled at me as she saw my expression.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" she asked me as she walked up towards me.

"When…how?" I was in a state of shock…but…I was also so happy. "I'd never thought we'd see each other again so soon. Life is full of surprises. isn't it, Subaru?"

"Yes…it is, Kuro-kun."

* * *

The one I had longed to see has shown up in front of me again. My adventures with her will continue again under the blue sky. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Reunion

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sure it was a little short, but I'm running on empty ideas right now. Still thinking where I want to go with this. I plan to have a few happy go lucky stories for a bit, to kinda break in the new characters. For those of you who lack imagination...this is what we call "FILLERS" don't kill me!! Anyway, something else you can expect to see will be perspective changes, something that is rarely done in first person view stories. Don't worry, I don't plan to do it in the middle of a chapter. When a perspective changes it will be an entirely new chapter. I don't know how many times i will do this, but rest assured most of the story will be in Yuuki's POV. I will let you know in the pre-story author's notes who the perspective is following.  
Well, let's buckle up and see where this new story takes us, shall we? I still don't know when I can update so sorry!


	2. Reunion

Author's Notes:

Slow updates...Summer is so distracting...

* * *

**Chapter 2: Reunion**

"I haven't heard that name in a while," I said as I hugged her and she hugged me back. "But I told you that my real name was Yuuki before I left didn't I?."

"Is that so?" She asked as we broke apart.

I had so many questions to ask her but right now was not the time…well maybe one wouldn't hurt.

"What were you doing with my parents?"

"Oh, I took a taxi to your house and saw your dad working on the car, so I offered to help."

"And they just accepted it?"

"Well I told them I knew you and wanted to see you before your ceremony, but guess I was a little late."

"When you say, 'Know me,' what exactly did you say?"

"I can't believe it Yuu-kun," my mom said as she walked up to me. "You go for only two weeks and you made a girlfriend who's willing to come overseas for your graduation ceremony? You certainly inherited your father's charm."

Crap…she did tell them that…I'm not going to hear the end of this am I?

"So, Nakajima-san? Would you like to celebrate with us?" My mom asked as she turned to Subaru.

"Really? Is it okay?"

"Don't worry, we have plenty of food prepared."

"Then sure, I'd be happy to."

"Kobayashi-chan, how about you?"

"Sorry, I have plans with my family already," Kasumi said. "Ah, shoot I'm going to be late. "Catch ya later, Yuu!"

"Don't get hit by traffic!" I shouted at her.

"Shut up! You're a jinx you know!"

And as she left, we boarded the car and headed home ourselves.

-

"And so to the new man of the house…Yuu-kun…Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

They popped those little firecrackers that you just need to pull a little string on the bottom to release the small explosion over my head.

"Haha! Thanks everybody!"

"Wow, everything looks so good!" Subaru said as my dad place some more dishes on the table. "Did you make all of this Aoi-san?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Mom? Cook? She can't cook to save her life!"

SMACK!

A slipper to the face sends me tipping over, but I caught myself before I fell over.

"What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be my mom?" I asked her.

"There's no need to laugh at my cooking skills!" she replied, crossing her arms.

"Or lack there off…" I mumbled as I threw the slipper back on the ground.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!"

Subaru laughed at our comedy act. Crap, this is embarrassing. I covered my face, pretending to rub the area where the slipper hit my face, but actually hiding my blushing face.

"Onee-chan…"

I saw Sakura tug on Subaru's shirt and Subaru glanced at her.

"Hmm? 'Onee-chan?' Me?" She asked as Sakura nodded. She was holding a plate of tempura shrimps.

"I made them myself!" Sakura said as she held them up at Subaru, "Try one?"

"Sure," Subaru said as she smiled and took one. She took a bit out of it and replied, "It's good," and Sakura smiled and laughed.

"Your sister is a very nice girl," Subaru said to me via telepathy.

"Really now?" I replied as I glanced over at Sakura who was happily eating her successful dish.

"So do you have a place to stay while you're here, Nakajima-san?" my mom asked Subaru suddenly.

"Eh? Um…well I was planning to find a hotel," she replied.

"How long are you planning to stay?"

"Um…my vacation is about three months long…"

"Huh? You can't live in a hotel for three months! It would be too expensive!"

"But, I don't have any relatives that live around here…" She then turned towards me. "Help me out here!" she said telepathically.

"No way," I responded with a smile. "This is too fun to watch."

"Then stay here…"

Everyone turned towards my dad. An aging man with a constant five o'clock shadow and thick glasses, he's the one who made this meal. He hardly ever speaks what's on his mind except when it's important. He's like the exact opposite of my mother.

"Ah! There's an idea!" my mother said as she hugged my father. "We have a guest room upstairs, why don't you use that?"

"Huh? No, I couldn't trouble you any further."

"Give it up," I said as I sipped on my drink. "Once she says something it's only a matter of time until you cave in under her pressure."

"N-no I couldn't take on so much hospitality like this…" Subaru didn't listen to

"It's no trouble at all," my mom insisted. "It'll trouble me even more knowing that you are spending so much money trying to find a place to sleep."

Ahh, this argument is so entertaining. I wonder how much longer before she does "that" to her?

"Really, I don't mind that at all!" Subaru said raising her voice slightly.

Ahh…that did it, I could see sparks in Mom's eyes now. She walked over to Subaru and grabbed her by the back of her collar.

"Nakajima-san, it's rude to raise your voice," she said smiling.

"Eh? Huh? What's going…?" Subaru looked at me in confusion as she was being dragged away.

I clapped my hands together and pretended to pray to her. "Subaru…I pray for your survival…"

"EH?!"

They disappeared behind the door to the garage and my father looked at his watch and started to count down.

"Three…two…one…"

"UNGNYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

A loud scream rang from the garage, and my dad nodded his head as if pleased with something, and continued to eat, while I'm clutching my stomach in laughter. Sakura just looked at me in confusion.

"Why did Onee-chan make the same noise Onii-chan makes when Okaa-san drags you in there?" She asked me.

"If you do something bad and make Okaa-san mad, then you'll find out," I explained. "But it's really scary and it'd make you never want to lie or do anything bad ever again."

I quickly shut my mouth as the garage door opened and they came back. My mom was beaming brightly, like she just relieved some stress, and Subaru followed behind her. She looked like someone who just saw a monster move marathon. Her eyes were expressionless, her skin was pale, and she had this strange smile on her face.

"Nakajima-san has agreed to stay with us for the duration of her vacation," she said as she and Subaru took their seats at the table again.

Subaru…congratulations on surviving my mom's initiation ceremony…

-

It's nighttime now and I'm sitting at my desk surfing the web on my computer when someone knocked on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

"Subaru? Come on in."

She came in with a towel wrapped around her neck.

"Did you just finish taking a shower?" I ask as she sat down on my bed.

"Yep, it feels really good," she replied laying down.

"How was Kaa-san's punishment game?" I asked as she froze up. "It's an indescribable horror isn't it?

She nodded slowly and said, "I can see why your body is so tough…your mom is really…"

"Shh…she might be listening!"

The two of us listened carefully in the silence. We could hear the creaking of the floorboards as someone walked towards me door, stopped for a few minutes and then walked away.

"See?" I whispered in her ear and she nodded. We waited in silence for a bit longer but we didn't hear anything else, other than the humming of my PC.

"Well, I think it's okay to talk normally now. I have some questions I want to ask you."

"Hmm? Okay, what is it?"

"It's only been three months since you 'graduated', how did you get a vacation so quickly?"

"Nanoha-san took a vacation and asked if I wanted to come along, so I applied for one as well and they let me go pretty quickly. Fate-san said she was also going to visit here soon, so maybe Tea will come too."

Ahh…that's what Kasumi was talking to Chrono about…thank you to the both of you.

"Did Nanoha-san say what she was doing?"

"She wanted to visit her parents and wanted to let Vivio meet them."

I blinked for a moment as I thought about the situation.

"Yuu-kun? Your face looks funny."

Of course it does…I'm doing my best to contain my laughter…oh crap…can't hold it in…

"BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"HUH!?" Subaru jumped backwards as I burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Hahaha…I just thought what probably happened when she brought Vivio back to her house. It probably explains the small earthquake we had during dinner time as well…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" She wasn't getting it at all.

"This is what I think happened. Nanoha-san walks into her old house and her family sees Vivio in her arms, so they ask who she is, so Nanoha-san says she's her daughter, since she became her guardian right?"

"Right…"

"This causes a huge commotion in the home as they ask her who Vivio's father is. Of course since Vivio is an Artificial Mage based on the DNA of some ancient Belkan King, nobody really knows. So they all begin to speculate what happened…hehehe…since they're her parents, they probably would have been let known about Nanoha-san's incident where she was hospitalized, you know the one everyone showed us after…'that' incident?"

"Right…"

"Seeing Vivio they probably came to the conclusion that she was sent to the hospital because she was assaulted, since it happened like what…six or seven years ago? And since Vivio's age is around then…hehehhe…then Vivio, who is obviously too young to get the situation, she probably wanted to know where…'Fate-mama' is…pfft….hehehehe…"

Uh-oh…it's getting harder for me to speak behind this laughter…

"A-and of course…hearing this, her family probably asked Vivio whose child she was, so she'd say 'Nanoha-mama's and Fate-mama's' or something. And since there was only one bed in their dorm, that means they all slept together so she probably told them that so they all begin to think that Nanoha-san and Fate-san…gyahahaa…are a couple or something…saying something like 'A daughter from a homosexual couple…it really is the magic world.' And this cause Nanoha-san to show them that scary look she had during 'that' time and use Raising Heart to blow them up!"

Subaru looked at me like I was crazy or something.

"You really think that's what happened?" she asked.

"Hell yeah, it's totally awesome!"

She looked at me and then said, "I'm just going to give her a call…"

She opened up a monitor and pressed a few keys before Nanoha-san appeared.

"Good evening, Nanoha-san!" Subaru said.

"Ah, good evening, Subaru," Nanoha-san replied. "Did you meet up with Kuro-kun okay?"

"I'm right here ma'am," I said popping my face into the screen. "It's been a long time."

"It really has."

"Umm…how's Vivio?" Subaru asked slowly. "You showed her to your parents right?"

"Uh…yeah…she's fine…" Nanoha-san replied looking off to her right. I smiled seeing her looking a bit uneasy.

"Did the earthquake affect your area much?" I asked unable to contain my smile.

"Umm…not too badly…"

Her uneasiness was suspicious…I wonder…

"I heard there was a gas explosion in that area."

She suddenly twitched at the word explosion. How VERY suspicious of her…my smile is starting to hurt my face…

"Um…Nanoha-san…did your parents have a misunderstanding or something?" Subaru asked.

"Oh Vivio is calling me, I'll talk to you later." She said quickly as she hung up.

There was a silence between Subaru and me.

"Called it!"

"We don't know that yet!"

"You saw her expression when I said 'explosion'! She totally did it!"

"What kind of image do you have of our former teacher?"

"A person who can snap at any second, just like my mom."

She let out a small sigh as she closed the monitor.

"You really are hard to handle," she said as stood up from the bed. "But I'm glad…"

"Hmm? For what?"

"That you made up with your family…"

"Ah…it was a little awkward at first, but these people are so easy going so everything was fine after the second week."

"Your sister is really adorable! I thought she would be a little more closed off to people, but she's really so cute."

"I wonder about that…" I muttered as I laid down flat on my back on my bed.

"Hmm? Why would you say that?"

"I wonder…"

"You're acting weird, what's wrong?"

"My girlfriend is in my room at night having just gotten out of the bath. You tell me what's wrong."

She looked confused for a moment and then the realization slowly dawned on her face.

"Pervert!" She screamed as she ran out the door, as I laughed to myself. Then I sighed as I flipped over on my side.

"Sakura…why won't you tell me anything?"

I turned off the lights and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

She is here with my family, our vacation shall soon begin together. Let's get going! Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: A Fun Day Out

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, nothing really happened this chapter, besides me referencing a doujinshi i read a bit back XD. Faster updates to come...i hope?


	3. A Fun Day Out

Author's Notes:

Short Chapter...

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Fun Day Out  
**

My morning peace has been interrupted by the sound of someone running towards my room, the door being forced open and the huge pain of someone jumping on top of me.

"Good Morning! My Honey!"

"'MY HONEY!?' What is this coming out of your mouth, Subaru!?"

"Your mom said that you should be woken up like this if you sleep past nine during your vacation," She explained as she pulled the covers off of me and opened the blinds.

"Figures," I mumbled as I got up. "More than that, how the heck can you say something so embarrassing like that with a straight face?"

"Eh? I think it's cute!"

"Are you freaking serious…?"

I guess I'm waking up early for the entire break…

-

When I got downstairs the only person around was Sakura, who was watching TV. She turned around when she heard me come down.

"Good morning, Onii-chan."

"Yeah, morning," I replied as I opened the fridge and pulled out some juice. "Is it just the three of us today?"

"Yep. Okaa-san and Otou-san are at work."

It's going to be boring just staying at home all day. I sat down next to Subaru who was talking with Sakura.

"Hey, why don't we go to the shopping center for the day?" I asked them.

"Hmm? Why?" Subaru asked.

"Since it'll be boring to just stay home all day, plus you should get to know the area a bit more if you're going to be here for three months."

"Hmm…I guess that makes sense."

"Sakura, do you want to come with us?" I asked and she looked up at me, her eyes seem to be shining.

"Is it okay?" She asked looking at Subaru.

Subaru smiled and patted her head, "Of course."

"You know…you've been patting her on the head ever since you got here…what is she like a dog or something?" I asked Subaru with a small smile.

"Hey! Don't say something like that!"

"Haha, whatever. We'll leave in fifteen minutes, can you help Sakura change?"

"Okay!"

-

"It's almost spring but its still pretty cold," I muttered as I wheeled Sakura to the door.

"Yeah," she replied as she pulled her blanket up.

"Oi, Subaru! You almost done yet?"

"Almost!"

"Sigh…let's at least step outside to get used to the cold."

I opened the door and was surprised to see Shou and his cousin standing there.

"Oh! Morning, Senpai, Sakura-chan," he said as they bowed. Seriously…these people sure are polite.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as they stood up straight.

"I spent too much time at home lately so my mom told me to go somewhere with Ayumi," he explained pushing his glasses up. "So I thought I'd hang out at your house."

"Leaving one house to go to another house…is there some anime marathon I'm missing?"

"No, I just wanted to re-watch all 26 episodes of Chaconne again since I just bought all the limited edition box sets," he said as he showed me the DVDs. Temptation…temptation to stay home suddenly increased…

"Yuu-kun! I'm done let's go!"

AH CRAP! I forgot about Subaru!

She poked her head out the door, which caused Shou to nearly drop his DVDs. Then they began to speak at the same time.

"Um…Yuu-kun/Senpai, who are these people/ is this? Me/Us? I'm Yuu-kun's/Sepia's girlfriend/friend."

Freaking hell…my head hurts…and I still am not used to hearing Subaru call me by "Yuu"…damn it…Kuro sounds cooler too…

"S-Senpai! What's this? When did you get a girlfriend without me knowing?" Shou was shaking my shoulders as tears were falling from his eyes.

I cast a glance at Subaru and started talking to her telepathically.

"Although it's going to be a pain, please match my story, since Kasumi and I didn't tell anyone about our little adventure to Mid-Childa. Just say whatever I tell you to say."

"Ok, sure."

"Umm…I met her a year ago, but we've only been going out for around three months," I explained to Shou.

"We met on an internet forum and I invited him over during your break," Subaru repeated what I told her to say. "I'm Subaru Nakajima, nice to meet you."

"I see…so that's why you left…" Shou muttered a bit before introducing himself. "I'm Aizawa Shou, it's nice to meet you as well."

"Aizawa Ayumi…hello," Ayumi said simply as she bowed again.

This girl…I can't tell if she's just apathetic or just slow in general…she doesn't even look wide-awake yet.

"Going somewhere?" Ayumi asked.

"Yes, to the marketplace," Subaru said. "Do you two want to come with us?"

Huh? Wait, what? No! I originally just wanted it to be the two of us! But I'd feel bad leaving Sakura home alone…but I don't want anyone else tagging along! Please say…

"Sure, why not?"

DAMN IT!

-

We spent a majority of the afternoon going from store to store in the marketplace so Subaru could get to know the place better. It was a lot more interesting due to the different personalities in our group.

When we went to one of the bookstores, Shou and I had to be torn away from the manga that we immediately went to look at. The shelves covered an entire freaking wall! How the hell could ANYONE resist that? Ayumi also wouldn't leave until we bought her the novel she was reading.

We then went to a pretty popular café for a light lunch. I forgot that Subaru loved sweets…she and Sakura ordered so much that I could hear my wallet crying. Ahh…but that sparkle in Subaru's emerald eyes when she eats sweets is…epically priceless…

"Hey Onii-chan?" Sakura asked after we left.

"Y-yes? What is it?" I asked as I leaned onto the wheelchair for support. I'm freaking tired…and my wallet is nearly dry…I have to take some money out of my savings again…

"Why don't we go in there next?"

I looked towards where she was pointing. An arcade?

"That looks like fun! Let's go!" Subaru shouted as she pushed Sakura's wheelchair out from underneath me. I lost my balance and collapsed on the ground.

"It looks like you have it rough, Senpai," Shou said as he looked over me.

"Subaru's plaything

"Shut up and help me up…aw damn…I think I hit my head…"

"As unlucky as always, huh?"

"Hey! What's the hold up?" Subaru called from inside. "Hurry up!"

I let out a small sigh as Shou pulled me up. That girl is as energetic as always.

When we all entered, I saw Subaru and Sakura looking at a machine with a bag in front of the screen.

"Hey, what's this thing?" Subaru asked.

"It's a Punching game," I explained. "You just punch it and it measures how many kg's of force it receives."

"I want to try it!" Sakura said as she tried to punch the bag, which is just out of her reach.

"Seriously? Well, okay…" I dropped a coin into the slot and raised the seat on her wheelchair so she could reach the bag.

With a loud grunt of effort she hit the bag with all her might. The machine gave a read out of 1.4kgs. Uh…not bad for a nine year old I guess.

"Okay, who wants to go next? Huh…? Aizawa-chan?"

"Ayumi is fine," She said to me as she dropped in a coin.

"Uh…okay…"

She pulled her arm back and punched the bag without uttering a sound.

11.4kgs? Well she doesn't seem like the type to work out so I guess that's fine.

"Shou, why don't you go next?"

"Huh? Me?!" He asked backing off slightly.

"Come on, we might as well all do it," I said pushing him back to the machine as the girls cheered him on.

"Good luck Aizawa-kun!"

"Go Shou Nii-chan…"

"Good luck!"

He sighed as he dropped a coin in.

"Here goes nothing…really…" he mumbled as he punched the bag. "20.0kgs, cool a personal best!"

Haha, least he's happy now. I dropped a coin in and cracked my knuckles.

"Alright! My turn! HAH!"

"90.2kgs! New high score!" I was pretty impressed with myself. All that training with the Knuckle weapon really did a lot for my punches. Too bad I had to hold myself back or else I would have broken the machine.

"Ok! My turn!" Subaru said as she stood in front of the machine.

"Yeah, yeah…hang on, let me put the money in."

Heh, heh…she's really into this, she's even warming up. Wait…if I can get 90.2 on this thing…and it only has room for two digits and one decimal point…and I had to hold back…what would happen if she…oh shit!

"SUBARU WAIT!"

"DORRRRYAAAAAAA!"

"Aw…crap…" I covered my face as I heard the loud crunching sound of twisted metal.

As I feared, Subaru completely destroyed the Punching Machine. Her hand went straight through the bag and into the screen.

"Atcha…" Subaru said as she pulled her hand out of the screen. It was cut slightly from the glass shards, but other than that it seemed okay.

There was a small commotion as the employees and other customers gathered around to see what had happened. Everyone but me and Subaru thought that the bag was worn down from all the uses so it finally broke when Subaru hit it.

The employees apologized after I bandaged up Subaru's hand and gave us cards that allowed for one month of free credit in the store.

After making sure Subaru was okay, I had everyone go enjoy themselves with our new free credit while I finished patching up Subaru.

"You idiot…what were you thinking going at it at full strength?" I asked as I closed the first aid kit that the employees brought out for us. "It isn't meant for a Combat Cyborg you know…"

"But you hit it so hard, I didn't want to lose!" She said rubbing her hand.

"I had to hold back a lot. If I didn't I'd be the one with the bloody hand."

"Hmm…it's going to be hard to eat with just my left hand…"

"I'm sure you'll be fine by tomorrow."

I stood up and looked around the arcade…I know it's around here somewhere…

"What are you looking for?" Subaru asked as she stood up.

"That over there."

I pointed over towards a machine with a microphone that was in the very center of the arcade.

"What is that?"

"It's a karaoke machine," I explained as I led her towards it. "It's never really popular because not too many people are confident in their singing abilities, or they don't have the guts to sing in front of everyone in the building.

"Then I guess _she_ didn't get the memo," Subaru replied leaning to the side to look past me at the stage.

"Say what?"

I turned around and my jaw nearly dropped.

K-Ka-Ka…KASUMI?

What the heck? When did she get here? Wait she's really going to sing? Huh, this would be a pretty good show. "Let's go closer to the stage."

I pulled Subaru closer as Kasumi began singing.

"My happiness and circumstance  
Can also bring me pain  
I try to understand  
But it feels like nothing seems to change  
When fallen rain stops glistening  
I'll see the rainbow shimmering  
And now, you offer out your hand  
And everything is clear to me…"

As we got close to the stage, there was a crowd gathering in front of the stage. People were looking at her in awe of her voice; Shou and the others were there as well.

"All because you're here with me  
All because you help me see  
All because this world was made for us to meet  
it's destiny  
I understand there's a reason here in my heart  
And maybe they call this love  
Even if the sky should fall  
I will never run 'cause  
you can see me through it all  
And now I can find it in your gentle  
gaze  
All the meaning building up this happiness  
When I turn to watch  
you smiling…"

The crowd went wild with applause as she took a small bow on the stage. There were even some people shouting out "Encore! Encore!"

"Kasumi-chan is really good at singing…" Subaru muttered as she clapped for Kasumi as well.

"Hmm…I'm bored now…my turn!" I shouted as I made my way towards the stage.

"Eh?" Subaru and Kasumi watched dumbfounded as I climbed on the stage.

"Yuu? What are you doing?" Kasumi asked as I switched the song on the machine.

"Singing."

I grabbed the microphone from her hands and shouted into it, "Everyone! Kimura Yuu will take over for now!"

"I think back to the time when my search first began  
I left behind those shores of sand  
For the endless everlasting world out there  
I know that with this burning passion driving me  
Someday, somewhere I'll finally see  
The light I have searched for everywhere

When the summer sun is shining

Shaking the sails of my heart I know

When the world that had been hiding  
Has opened up its doors for me to go

Swaying in the troubled waves  
From all despair I can be saved  
For the horizon on the other side is  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Is what I aim for!

And though I traveled far from where my search began  
Over seas of green and shores of sand  
Through the endless everlasting world out there  
I know that with this burning passion driving me  
Someday, somewhere I'll finally see  
The light I have searched for everywhere"

Cheers and applause erupted as my song ended. Yeah, yeah it's a well-known song, but it makes it easy to sing.

"You completely upstaged me, Yuu!" Kasumi yelled at me and gave me a kick in the shin.

"Ow! You don't have to kick me because of it!" I yelled back as I jumped up and down rubbing my leg. "How about a duet next?"

"Humph, then I get to choose!" She said as she flicked through the machine. "Let's go with this one!"

I looked over the song; ah…this one's a fun classic.

"Nice pick, let's try to match the original singers…no let's best them!"

"Yeah!"

And the rest of the day was spent singing songs in front of the arcade customers.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hmmmmmm...Sigh...

Bad chapter with little done but build some character relations...I'll pick things up asap!

Songs used: **Sore ga Ai desho (Full Metal Panic Fumoffu!) english version from Christina Vee** and **Hikari E (One Piece) english version from Funimation**


	4. Past Concerned

Author's Notes:

Hmm...maybe we can get somewhere today?

* * *

**Chapter 4: Past Concerned**

"That was fun!" Kasumi said as we climbed down from the stage

"The two of you sang pretty well," Shou said as he and Ayumi walked up to us with Sakura.

"You should have came up as well, Subaru," I said to her as I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Haha, I don't have the confidence to do that…"

The sun was going down and the six of us left the arcade together. Subaru, Sakura and I said our goodbyes and headed our own way home.

"Did the two of you have fun today?" I asked as I wheeled Sakura down the street.

"Yep!" Sakura shouted as she raised both of her arms in the air. "Today was fun!"

"Although it seems like your brother had the most fun," Subaru said with a small smirk on her face.

"Haha, maybe?" I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Don't be so modest. It's okay to have fun." She patted my back as she laughed as well. "Your brother really had fun right, Sakura-chan?"

The two of us looked down at Sakura, who was looking off to the right.

"What are you looking…? Oh…hmm…" I mumbled when I stopped to look for myself.

"What's wrong?" Subaru asked as she turned to look as well. "Is there something wrong with the park?"

"Not really…let's just keep going…"

"Uh…ok…? Oh hey! An ice cream stand!"

"Subaru wait!" I called after her, but she was already running towards the stand.

Ah…crap…I forgot she can't resist ice cream…hang on…does she even have money?

I sighed for a moment and looked down at Sakura. She was fiddling with the blanket on her thighs and mumbling to herself.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I knelt down beside her. "Did you want a cone as well?"

She shook her head but still didn't look at me. I sighed again and placed my hand on her head. "Don't worry about it too much, I'm not going to leave again," I said as I rubbed her hair. She looked up into my eyes and I smiled at her.

"Really?" She asked softly.

"Really," I replied.

"You promise?" She asked as she raised her pinky finger.

"Yeah…" I wrapped my finger around hers. "I promise."

As we split apart, Subaru came running back towards us…as expected…

"Yuu-kun! I don't have the money to buy it!" She called towards me. "Help me out here!"

"Geez…you really are a troublesome person," I replied as I turned around towards her. "I spent more money today than I do in two weeks already…" I mumbled as I handed her a few coins. "But hold back a little okay? Else my mom will do '_that'_ to you if you don't have an appetite."

Subaru shivered a bit before running back to the stand.

"Onee-chan looks happy," Sakura mumbled.

"I love that face of hers when she eats ice cream," I said as I held my hand in front of my mouth to hide my smile. "Her eyes look like they turned into green hearts with sparkles in them."

"Onii-chan…you're acting weird…"

"Am I? I wonder…"

"I'm back!"

"Finally! Now let's get going before…HOLY!"

I turned around only to see a cone with five scoops of ice cream, all different flavors, on it.

"Don't you know what the hell the term 'moderation' means?" I asked pointing at the ridiculous cone.

"But I couldn't decide which one I wanted," Subaru said eyeing her treat. "Besides, this looks really good doesn't it?"

"Are you a kid or something?"

"You don't have to yell so loud…"

"Ah…sorry…but seriously…FIVE scoops? Couldn't you have just settled for two or three like a normal person?"

"But look at it! It's impressive right?"

"Gah…whatever! Let's just go…" I started to push Sakura, who was trying to stop her giggling with her hands, down the sidewalk.

"The two of you are funny together," She said as she looked up at me.

"Hee, hee, thanks," Subaru replied smiling while rubbing the back of her head with her free hand.

"I don't think that's a compliment…and finish off that ice cream before we get within eyeshot from the house!"

"No way! You have to enjoy your food!"

I opened my mouth to argue again but I just sighed instead. I don't care anymore…she can do whatever she wants.

-

Hot…it's already nine and it's freaking hot…why won't Kaa-san turn on the A/C? I just took a freaking bath too…sweaty. I grabbed another set of clothes and headed to the bathroom.

As I opened the door…a wondrous yet very bad and clichéd scene appears before me…

Subaru was standing there in front of me with her hands behind her back trying to undo her bra. She stopped when she saw me, and the two of us stared at each other for a little while. Hmm…it's white huh? Wait…why am I still here? I should have left this scene the moment I opened this door! One part of my body says to "get the hell out of here!" but multiple other parts are saying, "stay and savor the moment until you get your ass kicked to hell and back. Okay…remain calm, Yuuki. Speak slowly and carefully and you'll get out of this with your head on your shoulders…crap…crap…CRAP!

"Um…looks like I forgot to lock the door…"

"Sorry, I should have knocked…"

"N-no its okay…didn't you already take a bath half an hour a go?"

"Yeah…but its really hot so I thought I'd take another one…"

"I-is that so…?"

"Well…I'll be going now…"

"Right…"

I closed the door and walked back to my room. As I threw my clothes on my bed I sat down at my desk and turned on my PC again.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED? I JUST WALKED IN ON HER LIKE THAT AND WE HAD A NORMAL CHAT LIKE THAT? HOW THE HELL WAS SHE SO CALM LIKE THAT?"

SMACK!

I punched myself across the face to shut myself up.

"OK…calm down Yuuki…don't worry about it too much…just be happy you weren't attacked…and why the hell am I talking to myself? I think I've been doing that a lot ever since the Devil Ärms came into my life…like I'm telling a story in my head…"

I let out a sigh and started to mess around on my computer. I need to get my mind off of Subaru's…really nice proportions…sigh…this is going to be hard. Was it size C? D?

SMACK!

Gah! Stop thinking about it damn it!

Maybe if I do some more work on "that" again I can get my mind off of it. I opened a picture file and started to work using my tablet and keyboard.

This looks like a good place to stop, time for a manga break.

Oh? A new series is starting? Wonder what it is? The name is pretty interesting…now just download…open file…click and drag…rename the folder and now to read it.

Hmm…wow…these girls are pretty well drawn…hmm? Where are all the guys? Is it an all girls' school? Cool. A few more pages…and…

"HOLY CRAP, IT'S YURI!"

I recoiled a bit at the sight of the two girls kissing but it passed in exactly one tenth of a second.

I found myself eyeing the computer screen a little closer than necessary. This art is really fun to look at…it'd be bad if someone were to come in right now…

"Yuu-kun the bath's free," Subaru said as she opened the door.

ALT+TAB! ALT+TAB!! ALT FREAKIN TAB!!

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…"

You know…I could almost feel that coming right after I said that.

"You going to use the bath?" Subaru asked as she sat down on my bed.

"N-no…I don't feel so hot anymore," I replied carefully closing the window without having it open up again. I've drowning in cold sweat right now.

She looked at me for a bit before plopping down on my bed. After waiting a bit to see if she was going to say anything else, I turned back to my computer.

A few minutes later, she spoke up again.

"Hey…what happened with you and Sakura at the park?"

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

"The two of you…suddenly acted strange…"

"Oh, that's the park where her accident occurred," I replied simply

"WHAT?" She sat up straight staring at me in disbelief. "How can you say something like that so calmly?"

"Would you rather I be depressed again?" I asked as I turned around towards her.

"N-no…but…"

"Like you told me, I don't want to remain depressed over that. I've finally overcame my mental condition and so I don't want to do or think of anything that would undo all of my hard work in two seconds."

The atmosphere seemed to drop to the coldest pits of hell…if that were possible…was it my fault? I better think of something to change the topic…oh!

"Now that I think of it…what have you all been up to after Kasumi and I left? How are Teana and the other forwards doing?"

That seemed to bring the mood back to a nice level. Her mood changes as quickly as a kid's. Well…that's one of her charm points.

"Let's see…Tea's started working directly under Fate-san as her assistant, Caro and Erio-kun are now in the environmental squad."

"Haha, any update on their 'relationship?'"

"Not from what they told me. Everyone was really wondering how you were doing though."

"Just me? What about Kasumi?"

"She kept in touch with video letters. Apparently she got the idea from Nanoha-san and Fate-san, since they did that when they were kids. She gave them to Admiral Harlaown who then delivers it to the rest of us."

"That's just like her to do something like that without telling me," I muttered, sighing a bit. Oh well, I was going through some rough times, wouldn't have had time to do that sort of stuff anyways.

"Since Nanoha-san's here, I wonder if Fate-san is going to drop by soon…maybe we'll see Teana as well."

"Maybe everyone from Section 6 could get together for a reunion again?" Subaru suggested.

"I don't know about that, everyone's probably pretty busy at their new stations," I said as I leaned further back on my chair. "Besides, is it okay for them to take a vacation to an unregistered planet?"

"That's true," Subaru said as she sighed and fell back on my bed. "I was only able to come because I was 'accompanying' Nanoha-san."

"I'm glad you did. This vacation would have been pretty boring if you weren't around."

Ah, she's gone red again. She's really is cute when she's like this.

"H-how can you say such embarrassing things?" She asked looking away from me.

"That sounds familiar," I said rubbing my chin. "Where have I heard that before? Oh right…I said that to _you_ this morning!"

"Eh? You did?"

"You seriously don't remember that 'My Honey' stuff?"

"But I thought that was cute…"

"Uh…huh…"

Well…this is part of her charm I guess. I turned back towards my computer and opened some files.

"By the way, what are you doing?" Subaru asked as she looked over my shoulder.

"Some work for the Bureau that the Admiral gave me to do, " I replied minimizing most of them but leaving the ones with a million words open.

"Uwah…that looks complicated. I'll get out of your way, good night!"

"Yeah, night!"

I waved to her as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

I sighed and restored the windows.

I can't let her see the Combat Cyborg blueprints that I was duplicating from my memory. That man in the orange cloak knew me and he knew I was going to go there…then there was also that Trodie cyborg…she just vanished like that in front of my eyes. Also the fact that he implanted memories into my head just by me putting my hand on a computer…

For some reason, I felt like keeping all of this information to myself. I didn't even tell Kasumi about it. From the reports, apparently "the good doctor" simply used the machine and Trodie to complete his own set of combat cyborgs. He hadn't received any kind of transmission from the person who "donated" the equipment to him. Trodie's creator…

But according to these schematics…it is completely different from the ones that was given to me from that man…

I opened both of them and placed them side-by-side. They were identical except for a few major differences.

Number 1: The ones from my head use far less materials and take much less time to make. It's like a mass production version…except these are the originals…I wonder if the reason this was given to Scaglietti, was so he could find a way to improve the design?

Number 2: The ones implanted in my head are not implemented in a human body at birth, human parts are implanted into the machine instead. Making them more something like an android rather than a cyborg.

Number 3: Because the origin is different, these cyborgs do not have a set "personality" and are essentially drones with no will of their own. However, personalities can be imputed into its core memory which is a human's brain

What was that person's plan in handing me this information? He was supposed to be Scaglietti's ally yet he gave me more than enough evidence to lock Scaglietti away…maybe a double agent?

I have it in my hands…to create two kinds of Combat Cyborgs…but then, I don't have anyway of actually creating them. Wait, what am I saying? Why would I want to? Although I hate to admit it…Combat Cyborgs are weapons that have feelings like a normal human…

I wonder what Subaru had to go through, being a Combat Cyborg…her life must have been tough…

I wonder why I'm only thinking about this right now? I knew about her being one for…well for me it's been over a year…but I haven't even given a thought about it…

Is it because I've never really had her pinned as a Combat Cyborg? This sixteen year-old girl who eats ice cream like a child, who laughs and cries like any normal human being…

I let out a small sigh and slumped onto my bed after turning off the lights and my computer.

Combat Cyborgs…how do I feel with technology like this? If it never existed, I would never have met Subaru or possibly anyone else from Section 6…but because it exists, Subaru and the other Cyborgs lost a lot…no…I can't say that. I wouldn't really know.

Hang on! I just realized something! The entire day today, I didn't get hurt around her at all! Wait, I punched myself after that…does that count?

Seriously…I'm being way too depressing lately…sleep time…sleep is good…

-

"Ugh…morning already?" I mumbled a bit as I sat up and looked at my clock. Nine o'clock, huh? Guess I just managed to beat Subaru's wake up attempt…hmm? What the heck?

I noticed a large lump from the blanket was a moving and felt something crawling up my legs…there are two of them…

"BOO!"

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I jumped up and back hit my head on the wall…wait…I got hurt…then it's…

"SUBARU? AND SAKURA AS WELL?"

The two of them were looking at me from under my blanket with stupid smiles on their faces.

"Good morning," they said in unison.

"Subaru…why are you dragging my little sister into your games?"

"Hmm? I'm not dragging anyone along," Subaru said as she wrapped her arms around Sakura. "She just wanted to wake up her older for the first time in a long time."

Damn it…don't look at me with those eyes…the two of you are making me feel like I kicked a puppy for licking me…

"T-that's fine and all…but…" I grabbed my pillow from underneath my feet. "Did you have to do something like that!?"

I smacked her in the face with my pillow and she jumped off my bed. and headed for the door, laughing.

"Don't run away!"

I threw my pillow at her and she ducked as the door opened behind her.

"Yuu-kun, are you awake?"

SMACK!

Oh…this wont end well…I hit my mom in the face…as the pillow slid off of her face the three of us stared at the demon behind the smile.

"Who threw this?" A kind yet menacing voice asked.

Immediately the other two pointed at me.

"Wha? Wait a minute!" I stammered as my mom walked towards me and grabbed my by the collar and started to drag me out of the room.

"Subaru! Save me!" I called desperately but she simply raised her hand up apologetically…wait didn't I do that to her as well? I quickly turned to my sister instead.

"Sakura! Tell Kaa-san to stop!"

But she merely waved her hand and said, "Bye-bye."

"No!! Kaa-san! Wait please let me just explain! No not _THAT_ again! Please anything but that!" The last thing I remembered…was entering the garage and then…

"UNGNYAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Yes! Finally, I'm getting somewhere! Linking back to the prequel, the man in the cloak and his "gifts" to Yuuki. A different type of Combat Cyborg? What kind of technology is this? Want to know? Well, just keep on tuning in at least once a week to see if I managed to update anything.


	5. Maternal Emotion

Author's Notes:

Chapter 5 of the original fanfic has arrived. A lot more info and...is that what i think it is? YES IT'S THE PLOT! Oh and this is from Subaru's POW

* * *

**Chapter 5: Maternal Emotion**

As the two of us heard the loud scream from the garage I laughed slightly. "Ahahaha, your brother has his troubles doesn't he, Sakura-chan?" I asked her as I carried her down the stairs.

"Was it our fault?" she asked as I set her down on her wheelchair.

"Don't worry, he was the one who threw the pillow," I replied petting her on the head.

She didn't look convinced at all. I heard the door open behind me and turned to see Aoi-san and Yuu-kun walking out. Wah…his face looks pale. Was that how _my_ face looked?

"By the way, Nakajima-san, are you busy this afternoon?" Aoi-san asked as she turned to me while Yuu-kun slumped onto to the couch.

"Um, I don't have any plans yet, why?" I asked as I sat down next to Yuu-kun who was lying stretched across the couch and absentmindedly staring at the ceiling.

"It's been bothering me for a bit but…I've noticed that you've only been wearing boyish clothes. Don't you have anything more feminine?"

"Um…define feminine…"

She does have a point…I only brought jeans and t-shirts with me. And the only skirt I wear is my military uniform…

"Therefore, I was thinking that I'd take you shopping for some new clothes."

"Huh?"

I sat up straight and looked at her. She doesn't seem to be joking.

"That sounds like a good idea!"

"Uwa! When did you revive, Yuu-kun?"

"Don't say it like I was killed…"

"But that punishment feels like you want to die…doesn't it?" I asked him softly and he nodded.

"Hmm? What are you two whispering about?" Aoi-san asked.

"N-nothing!"

"Nothing at all!"

When I think about it, I guess she is the reason Yuu-kun is so resilient to everything…

In the end I ended up following Aoi-san to the marketplace for a shopping trip but…I don't really know what I want. I guess I'll just take what ever Aoi-san recommends…

"Here we are!" She said as we stopped in front of a store called "Blue Rose."

"This place is?"

"The place where we're going to get you your new clothes."

"'Blue Rose?' What kind of place is this?" I asked looking at its logo. Two blue flowers sprouting out of a black dress.

"My place, I own it," she said simply. "It's a small shop but it's still pretty popular among the girls around here. Let's open up and see what we can find for you."

She took out a small key from her purse and unlocked the gate. Inside was pretty impressive. Flowers decorated the walls as much as the clothes. The presentation of the place was extremely eye-catching and the clothes themselves were pretty cute as well.

"The best thing about owning your own store is being able to set your own work time," she explained as she set her coat down behind the cash register. I walked around taking a look at the stock but nothing is really standing out to me.

"Could it be that you made all of these, Aoi-san?"

"That's right," she said nodding her head. "It's a great experience and it increases the net profit gains than ordering premade clothes in bulk like other stores." She pulled a few clothes out from a bin and dragged me into a changing room. "Now let's find a look that fits you."

She made me try on a bunch of different outfit combinations, from tank tops and mini skirts to long flowing one-piece dresses…which do not fit me at all…but…

I looked around the store again before asking, "Isn't it a lot of work to make all of this by yourself?"

"Of course it is," she said as she placed the clothes in three separate piles; one for the clothes that she's giving me, another for the ones to be put back, and the last were ones she wants me to try on. "But it's enjoyable work and the money I make is good."

She then walked behind the counter and started to look for something as I turned back to the mirror. A pink and red striped sweater with a pink miniskirt…it's a little childish isn't it?

"Well, that's enough playing around, let's get down to business," I heard her say. So I was being used as a mannequin? The lights started to flicker a bit before completely shutting off.

"Ara…a power out? I thought I paid the bills…" I poked my head out of the dressing room and saw Aoi-san looking up and down the street. "No looks like the entire street has lost power…maybe the heat caused the generator to overheat?"

I let out a small sigh as I closed the curtain and looked back at the mirror. I wonder what Yuu-kun would think about this…

"Are you okay in there, Nakajima-san? I apologize for this blackout…"

"Yeah…don't worry about it."

"If you don't mind, I want to ask you something. It concerns you and Yuuki."

"Huh? What is it?"

I turned around and was shocked to see her standing directly behind me. I didn't hear the curtain open…but what was more shocking was that…she was holding a gun to my face.

"What is a member of the Time Space Administration Bureau doing around my son?" Her voice was dark and there was no trace of the loving mother figure that was playfully dressing me up a few minutes ago.

"A-Aoi-san? What is going on?" I asked softly as I took a few steps away from her and pressed my back against the mirror. "Why are you…?"

"Answer the question! What is a member of the TSAB doing here?"

Why does she know about the Bureau? Why is she holding a gun to my face? Why does she know that I am from the Bureau? What's going on here?

"Plasma Bind!"

A blue and yellow energy bind stretch from the walls and wrapped around my arms, legs and my neck, preventing any form of escape or resistance.

"A…a bind? A-Aoi-san? Who are you?" I asked as I looked back at her.

"_Mistress, it is likely she doesn't know._" A voice and a flash of light came from the choker around Aoi-san's neck. A device?

"I see…so looks like that tip off wasn't reliable…completely."

She snapped her fingers and the bind disappeared dropping me to my knees.

"I apologize for this misunderstanding Nakajima-san," She said as she lowered her head.

"It…it's okay," I said quickly. "But how do you know about the TSAB?"

She stood up straight and looked at me for a little while. "I suppose I'd have to explain myself now…Nakajima-san, have you ever heard of 'List Z' while in the TSAB?"

"No…I haven't."

"It is a blacklist within the TSAB where those on the 'List' are criminals who were unfortunately killed during their attempted capture. The most recent name was someone known as Blue Rose." She smiled slightly as she said it.

"Blue Rose? Is that…?"

"Ah, Blue Rose was formerly an Admiral of the TSAB Fleet who led the TSAB to multiple victories in space, sea, and land at the age of nineteen, and was given the title of Ace of Stars, reserved for only the most skilled of soldiers and the title is only passed down from the former Ace of Stars. Despite all the glory and prestige she received by the Bureau, she detested its insistency of the No-kill policy but never did anything about besides voicing her complaints. However, things were pushed to the limits when the terrorist faction, Black Terra, came to surface."

"Black Terra? Is that the organization that amassed an army large enough to match the TSAB's right?"

"Yes; for the three years after she received the Ace status, Blue Rose hunted their organization with everything she had in her and eventually captured the ringleader. During the trial she pushed for an execution but of course was denied, despite the fact that the man still had hundreds of supporters, but he was simply placed in a maximum security prison."

"And, as she predicted, within two months the entire facility was attacked allowing him along with countless other criminals to escape causing the cycle of terror to repeat itself."

"Luckily, it only lasted on year as she was able to efficiently lead the TSAB to victory and once again came face to face with the ringleader. This time however, that was going to be the last encounter."

"Having violated the No-Kill policy she was set to be court-martialed for her 'crime' but she managed to escape with the aid of those who viewed her sentence to be unjust. The TSAB refused to let her leave quietly and chased her all the way to Non-Administrative Planet 97 where her escape shuttle was shot down into the waters of the Pacific Ocean."

"Miraculously she washed ashore on Japan and was taken in by a man who knew nothing of what she went through and simply thought he was helping a woman who was shipwrecked. She later casted away her old name and began to live on the planet, hoping to live a normal and peaceful life."

She finished her story and smiled slightly. The warm motherly aura returned as smoothly and quickly as the lights in the store. "Well, that's how it is," she said as she hoisted the gun and clapped her hands together. "I'd appreciate it if you kept it a secret from everyone, especially Yuuki."

"Y-yes, of course!" I said quickly. "You're his mother…and he wouldn't forgive me if I turned you in…"

"Thank you."

"But…does Shichiro -san know about this?" I asked slowly.

"Of course. I can't lie to my husband about my past. But I wonder what he will say about this…"

"About what?"

"That his son is just like him." Aoi-san said as she covered her eyes with her hand.

"In what way?"

"That neither of them can get a girl from their own planet and that they had to go for aliens instead," she replied giggling slightly. "I can't decide whether that's funny or sad."

"Alien…I never really thought about it like that."

"That's because you were born used to interstellar travel, where as the people of this planet celebrate over something as simple as a ship breaking through the planet's atmosphere. Seriously, it was so hard to adapt to this planet's way of life."

"I see…"

I was cut off by the sound of the bell on top of the door ringing. Some girls poked their head through the door and asked, "Umm…are you open?"

"Yes we are, please come in and look around!"

"Wah?"

Aoi-san suddenly turned around on the heels of her feet and did another complete change in her personality to a convincing and pushy salesperson. It felt like she was a completely different person…I suppose this is how Yuu-kun was able to create his "masks." But hers are much harder for me to see through…

"-jima-san…Nakajima-san?"

"Hmm? Oh, what is it?" I was dozing off so I didn't hear Aoi-san calling me.

"I was wondering if you could help me out in the shop? In exchange for the clothes."

"Sure, I'd be happy to. Oh and just 'Subaru' is fine." I added. Being called by my Surname all the time was a little irksome.

"I see, well then, Subaru-san, please help me."

"I'll do my best!"

The sun was almost setting when Aoi-san decided to close up for the day. After the last customer left, I slumped down next to the register.

"Exhausting…"

"It is overwhelming at first, but you get used to it after a while," Aoi-san said as she straightened out the shelves. Most of the merchandise had been sold so there were a lot of empty spots on the shelves. Wait…now that I think about it, I've never seen her actually knit anything before…maybe I should ask her…

"Aoi-san, um…how do you replenish your stock if it gets sold out so quickly?"

"That's a secret. Anyway, it's getting pretty late; you should go get Yuuki before he misses dinner. He should be at the river bed next to the bridge."

"Sure. It's on the way back anyway," I said as I walked towards the door.

"Oh and Subaru-san?"

"Hmm?"

"I apologize again for the trouble I caused you."

"It's okay…it was a misunderstanding, right?" I asked as I quickly left the store.

As I walked down the street I recapped everything I learned. Aoi-san was a former admiral of the TSAB and was believed to have died only to be actually living as a civilian away from TSAB territory…I don't think anyone would believe this story even if I told him or her…

As I walked down the road near the river I noticed someone lying on the grass with a paper bag next to him. It's Yuu-kun.

He was staring absentmindedly at the sky with his hands behind his head and didn't notice me walk up and sit down next to him.

"Is the sky so interesting?" I asked as he finally turned his head towards me.

"Not really," he said as he sat up a bit. "Not as interesting as the view right now."

"What are you…ah?"

I realized I never changed out of the outfit that Aoi-san put me in last. I tugged on the hem of the skirt as he laughed and lied back down again.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him as I looked up at the sky as well.

"This place…it was where everything began," he replied as he held his right hand up in the air and made a fist with it. "This thing came to me while I was relaxing at this exact spot after a hard day's work."

"I see…but you are glad they did, right? After all you got to meet me!" I said this expecting him to fluster about but instead he simply chuckled softly.

"I guess so. I guess the good things do outweigh the bad things…" he muttered sighing a bit. "I'm being too moody for my own liking." He reached into the paper bag and pulled something out and took a bite out of it.

"Um…what are you eating?"

"Karaage," he said simply, "They sell it on a stand a little bit away. I always buy some when I come here. Want one?"

"It's okay, it's almost time dinner, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I really shouldn't have eaten so much. Oh well, I always have room for more."

"Are we going to go?"

"Yeah, yeah, let me just finish this." He grabbed the rest of them and shoved them all in his mouth as he crumbled the bag and tossed it in a nearby trashcan. He made a show about quickly chewing and swallowing it all. It was pretty amazing…

As we walked down the street together Yuu-kun kept pressing his forehead.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not really…I've just been having these headaches lately. Also it feels like I'm being watched all the time. It's creepy." He looked behind him and up into the air after he said this before continuing to walk beside me.

"Is it my fault? Are you getting enough sleep? Should I stop coming to your room at night?" I asked quickly

"Oi, oi, that last one can be a bit misleading…but it shouldn't be a habit. Not that I mind too much of course."

"Geez why do you have to be so perverted?"

"I just call them as I see them."

"You really are had to handle…" I said as I punched him in the arm.

He laughed as he brushed his sleeve off. As he turned back to the road he suddenly stopped and looked around.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you hear something just now?"

I stopped and listened carefully, but all I heard was the wind blowing. However it seems like Kuro really is actually hearing something. He was looking around seriously trying to find the source. Suddenly he turned around and started to run down the path we came from. "Yuu-kun! Wait a minute! Where are you going?" I called as I chased after him. I followed him towards the park where he suddenly stopped and walked towards the center of the playground. I stopped behind him as I caught my breath.

"Wh…what…what is going on? Why did you suddenly run all the way here?" I asked as I leaned on my knees for support. When I looked up at him, he seemed like a different person. His expression was similar to the one he had when he lost his mind during the Scaglietti incident. "Yuu…kun?"

"Alright, I'm here!" he shouted suddenly. "So where the hell are you?" But there was no reply…or at least I didn't hear anything as he suddenly turned around and pushed me behind him. There was a person in a yellow cloak standing at the entrance of the park. He or she was standing on top of one of the streetlights and looking down on us. Even though his face was hidden by a mask I could feel the hostility from behind it.

"What do you want?" Yuu-kun asked him as his hands started to glow green and red. "Answer me! Why are you threatening my family?"

The person raised their hand out and three flashes of light rose from the ground and along with it three more masked figures. They were holding weapons that I've never seen before and they were pointing them at us.

"Um…Yuu-kun? What's going on?" I asked as two of the new comers began to slowly move to our sides.

"Exactly what it looks like," He said as his Barrier Armor appeared. "We're in trouble."

* * *

A new enemy has appeared, a vacation is cut short. Underneath that mask lies a shocking secret...

Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Hostile Encounter.

* * *

Author's notes

Ace of Stars huh? I just did that unconsciously before I realized how awesome it sounded as well as how well it matches the title.

Anyways, it seems like i forgot about doing the Chapter Previews before, but I'll be doing them again, hope you like it.


	6. Hostile Encounter

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the lack of stories updates. Just got into college and it took a few weeks to get used to everything...but hey...its not like anyone really reads this huh...

* * *

Okay let's do a little recap here…today Subaru went with my mom to buy some new clothes, which seemed to take forever, and then found me at my special space near the river. Everything seemed to e going normally until we got close to my house…

"_…-ome…me…_"

A hollow voice rang through the air and I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around.

"What's wrong?" Subaru asked as she stopped as well.

"Didn't you hear something just now?" I asked as I looked behind me. Did it come from over there?

"Y_our…sister…park…come…_"

I froze for a moment before I started running like hell was chasing me towards the park. I could hear Subaru calling after me but I couldn't hear what she was saying. There was no way I'm going to let anything else happen to Sakura, I'll die before that happens.

As I reached the park, I cracked my fingers as I looked around the park, but I didn't see anyone. I heard someone panting behind me and I turned around to see Subaru heading towards me, out of breath…I suppose that's what happens when you normally run around with skates…wait…back to what's important…

"Alright, I'm here!" I shouted as loudly as I could. "So where the hell are you?"

"_Here_…"

I stretched my arm out and pushed Subaru behind me and saw a cloaked figure standing on one of the streetlights. He looked similar to the guy who helped me back then during the Scaglietti Incident except he was in a yellow cloak instead of an orange one, but this guy doesn't seem like he wants to help me…

"What do you want?" I asked but he didn't say anything. "Answer me! Why are you threatening my family?"

"_Operation Start…Units 2P, 2R, 2S…come out…"_

Three people, all wearing yellow uniforms, appeared from a flash of light carrying guns of some sort…this might be bad…

"_Take Delta formation and prepare to attack…"_

"_Yes, ma'am…_"

So the punk's a girl? That's some good information…but not really important right now…

"Um…Yuu-kun? What's going on?" Subaru asked as two of them began to slowly move to our sides.

"Exactly what it looks like," I replied. "We're in trouble."

_Barrier Armor, Lord form!_

I grabbed Subaru and jumped behind a small wall as they started shooting at us.

"Well isn't this just lovely," I muttered as Rho Aias turned into its crossbow form. "Three Days into my vacation and I'm already being attacked by psycho girls!" I turned to Subaru, who was covering her head from the flailing debris. "Um…can't you transform and help me as well?"

Subaru looked at me before laughing softly. "Oh right! Mach Caliber…set up!"

I waited a moment but…nothing happened…

"Umm…looks like I grabbed the wrong necklace…heh heh…" She held up the "Forget me not" stone I gave her before we parted ways back on Mid-Childa

"Son of a…" I'm happy that she still has that thing…but seriously…well I guess not everyone has the liberty to keep their device on them 24/7…well guess it's up to me then. "Keep your head down and don't make me worry too much then," I said as I pulled back the magic arrow.

_Sonic Flare version 2_

My modified version of Kasumi's portable heat wave arrow; it doubles as a flash bang as well as a heat attack concentrated in a small sphere to trap the enemy. The arrow managed to hit the one in the middle of the three and swallow him up in a small flash of light.

"Yes! Got one!"

"KTXHSCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

There was a loud screeching noise like a microphone feedback that shattered some of the light bulbs in the streetlights…oh and probably my eardrums as well. What surprised me is how the other masked soldiers didn't seem to even take notice of the sound as they just kept on shooting at me.

There weapons are similar to an assault rifle and a shotgun…what bothers me is that I haven't seen them reload the entire time. They just keep spraying at me!

I ducked behind a tree for some cover and to catch my breath as the bullets flew past my head. These don't seem like magic bullets like the ones Teana uses, but there aren't any shell casings either…just what the hell kind of technology is this?

I peeked out from behind my tree and saw behind the sea of bullets, the one using the shotgun like weapon was pressing a few buttons on it and then aimed it at me…

"OH CRAP!"

I dived out just as the tree exploded.

"A missile? A freaking missile from a shotgun! What kind of technology is this?" That's it…I've had it with playing defense…switching to offensive style now!

_Gauntlet Form_!

I slid up to the one holding the rifle and slammed my palm into his chin sending him flying into a tree.

_Spear Form_!

I then spun around and slammed my spear into the remaining solider. I took a deep breath and let it out before turning to face the boss lady…who just happens to not be standing there anymore…

"Hey Subaru, did you see where the yellow one went?" I called out.

"I think he went…YUU-KUN ABOVE YOU!" She shouted as I dived backwards, narrowly avoiding an energy attack.

I looked up and saw her floating up there with a yellow scythe poking out from under her cloak. Damn it that was a cheap shot…again she vanished from my sight and went…

"Behind!"

I spun around and slashed the area behind me with my spear but she managed to block it with her scythe. Right into my trap…

_Sword Form_!

I dissipated my spear and it reformed in the area between her scythe and body as my sword.

"Game Set…" I shifted my sword to the blade part and brought it straight up towards her face. She shifted her head back far enough that I only managed to slice the mask off…wait…

"What…the hell…?"

"What…is going on here…?" I heard Subaru say.

Behind the mask was the face of Fate Harlaown.

"Mission compromised…retreating…

While I tried to get a grasp of this situation the Fate lookalike started to charge up another attack "Harken Saber…"

The blade of the scythe flew towards me but it wasn't going to hit me…

"Subaru! Get out of the way!"

There was a huge explosion as well as a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Ack…cough…oi Subaru…you still alive?"

"S-somehow…" she called from somewhere in the dust.

"Hang on…let me get rid of this dust…_Tempest…_"

A small whirlwind began to wrap around my blade and began to attract the dust. The wind lifted the dust into the air and dissipated. Now where did Subaru fly off to…ah, there she is. She had been thrown upside down into a tree.

"Such a nice position…owie" I mumbled as she threw a rock at my forehead. "What did you do that for?"

"Just help me up," she said as she pulled…uh…down her skirt I guess…from her perspective. "But…was that Fate-san just now?"

"I'm not sure," I said as I pulled her to her feet. "It certainly looked like her…and fought like her…but there's no way she could be on Earth right now…right?"

"I don't think so. Tea's last message to me before she left with Fate-san was that they were investigating stolen weapons on some TSAB outposts," Subaru said.

"There is a possibility that someone is trying to frame Fate-san for treason…"

"If they were they wouldn't have used a mask, right?"

"That would make it too obvious…wait…Sakura! Where is-?"

"Onii-chan?"

I wheeled around and saw Sakura wheeling herself on the other side of the street.

"Sakura!" I shouted I ran towards her and grabbed by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Otou-san told me to go find you. It's dinnertime."

"…So you just went here straight from home…?"

"Uh-huh…um…Onii-chan…why are you wearing an angel costume?"

"Huh?"

I looked behind me and noticed my wings…ah crap…

"Okaa-san said not to wear that stuff, remember what happened at that Halloween party?"

"Yeah…please don't tell her…or Oyaji for that matter…"

"Hai"

"Hey, hey what's this about not being allowed to wear costumes?" Subaru whispered to me.

"You don't want to know…I'm not too proud of that moment…hey can you take her home for me? I want to look around this place a bit more…"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go, Sakura-chan!" She said as she pushed her down the street towards my house.

"Now then…"

I walked back to where my fire arrow hit the first trooper. The burn marks on the ground definitely show that someone was there but not anymore…how come bad guys are always so skillful in running away within a two second window margin?

"Who knows…training perhaps?" Came a voice behind me. I swung my sword behind me and it was blocked by another cloaked figure…this time it was orange. "Relax…not here to fight…" He was holding my sword with what seemed like a metal arm coming from his back. Maybe he's a cyborg?

As if to show his sincerity he withdrew his arm and stood there in front of me. His mask was similar to the one the Fate lookalike wore except the designs and markings were a little different. We stared at each other for about a minute before I removed my Barrier Armor. He doesn't seem like an enemy…for now…

"You were…attacked?" he asked as he walked along the semi-destroyed park.

"No, I decided to redecorate this park without permission," I joked. I heard him give a small laugh as he continued t walk around the park. "What did you come here for?"

"To warn you," he said simply as he turned himself around to face me.

"Warn? About what?"

"Tragedy…the loss of your bridges…send you into…darkness…destruction…and despair. The bonds of your world…are in danger of…disappearing…"

"My bonds? What's going to happen?"

"Three weeks…prepare yourself…or the world will end with you…"

At this moment my cell began to ring. I pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was from my house, I guess Oyaji is calling me. As I looked back at the masked man…but as expected he was gone. Damn it! How the hell do they do that?

I flipped open my phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU!?"

"DOWA! Kaa-san…"

"Don't 'Kaa-san' me! Where are you?" Ah…she sounds REALLY mad…

"Sorry! I got held up…I'll be right home!"

"You got five minutes. GO!"

"Yes ma'am!"

I bolted towards my house as fast as I could, if I was one second late…ugh…_that_ will happen again.

-

It's nighttime again and once again I am at my computer deciphering the blueprints of the Combat Cyborgs, although I'm getting nowhere fast. I can't help but think about that guy's cryptic message earlier. What's with mysterious figures and cryptic messages? Is it so hard to tell the person outright what's wrong? Whatever, I think I'll take a walk and clear my head a little before I call Admiral Harlaown.

-

The night air was nice and the stillness of the night was pretty was pretty refreshing as well. The streetlights illuminated my way as I headed towards the riverbed. I don't know why I keep going here, it's like it's calling out to me whenever I'm bored or have nowhere to go. I wonder if there's something in the water…

"Huh? Yuu-senpai?"

I turned around and saw Shou coming from around the corner.

"Yo, fancy meeting you out this late," I said as he walked up to me. "Taking a walk as well?"

"Yeah, I can't seem to unlock some of the hidden content of one of my games," he said as he walked beside me. "So I thought taking a walk would help me think better. Why are you out here?"

"For similar reasons I guess. What game are you playing?"

"It's the new "Saga" game that just came out a bit back. If you beat two hundred monsters in a row without using any items in this one level you're supposed to get some strong weapons."

"Whoa that seems kinda tough. How far did get before you decided to take a break?"

He sighed and looked down at his feet. "One hundred ninety-nine after 3 hours…"

"Ahh…" Ouch…that really sucks…not as bad as losing all your data after 36 hours of nonstop play but still pretty bad. "Hey, isn't the "Saga" series multiplayer? Why don't I come over and help you?" I suggested.

"Really?" he asked as he grabbed onto my shoulders. "Ayumi's been playing with me but the two of us just can't do it since the AI doesn't seem to adapt to our play style too well. Maybe if you help us we might actually win!"

"Okay, okay…easy there Shou. I understand being worked up over a game better than anyone but you should take it easy."

"But…it was three whole hours…boss level monsters…" he replied.

"Okay, okay, I'll come over whenever I'm available," I said as I pulled him off of me.

We talked a little bit more about the game before we ended up at the riverbed where Shou decided to change the topic. "Um, Senpai? There was something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now."

"Shoot."

"It's about Nakajima-san; I don't mean to be rude but why did you choose her as your girlfriend?"

"Huh? Is there a reason why I shouldn't?" I asked. I have no clue where he is going with this.

"It's just that, you always seem to steer clear away from the girls at school, especially the ones that actively pursue you. Nakajima-san doesn't seem like the shy type of girl that you go for in galges."

"Shou." I began as I gripped his shoulders. "As it pains me to admit it, life isn't like those games…things that you would never expect just happens and you got to make do with what you got."

"You mean your trip out of the country?" he asked.

"Yeah, that too…anyway I'm going to head back now, it's getting late."

"Alright, goodnight Senpai."

"Yeah, you too."

I turned around and headed back home. When I turned the corner I started running until I got a little closer to my house. There I opened up a monitor and pressed a few buttons and waited until my call was answered.

"Yes, this is Admiral Chro- oh, Kimura?"

"Admiral, about that thing I asked for a bit earlier?"

"Oh right, just a moment…" He turned to another monitor and pulled out a file. "It's as we thought…your body is slowly deteriorating each time you activate the Devil Ärms."

"I see…so that's why my arms just randomly become numb…I thought it was because of my sleeping habits at first but they became more and more frequently…"

"Don't worry, we'll be able to find a way to stop or remove them soon."

"Yeah, I'm not too worried about that," I said as I leaned on a wall. "I just don't want to randomly collapse and drive my parents nuts…one hospitalized child is enough for them…"

"You are a considerate person aren't you?"

"Comes with the package," I joked shrugging slightly.

"So how did you like the surprised visit by Private Nakajima?" Chrono asked.

"Surprised, I guess. You and Kasumi sure knew how to drive me crazy…but I guess I'm happy about it, thanks."

Before he could say anything, I heard the door open on his side. I could have sworn my eyes burst out of my head at the person walking towards Chrono. The long blonde hair and magnificent figure that caught my eye could only belong to…Fate Testarossa Harlaown…

Wait a minute…if she's there right now…then that means the person I saw around here was an imposter after all…since there is no way she could get from Earth to the TSAB HQ in only two hours time…

They were probably talking about something important since the sound was muted from his side, but I could still see their worried expressions. Fate-san suddenly looked over towards me so I gave a small wave in response. She waved back before saying something to Chrono who nodded and turned the volume back up.

"It's been a while Kuro-kun…or is it Yuuki-kun now?" Fate-san asked me.

"Haha, either one is fine, but I'm doing fine, Fate-san. How are you and Teana doing? It must be hard working for such a demanding older brother."

"Oi, don't go dragging me into this!" Chrono said quickly.

"We're doing just fine, and Chrono isn't a bad boss," Fate-san replied laughing slightly. "In any case, we would like to ask a favor of you."

"Hmm? About what?"

"It's about this case we're working on…"

"Oh, about the missing weapons?"

"How do you know about that?" They asked me at the same time.

"Come on…you basically gave me the information…"

The two of the looked at each other and thought about it for a moment before realizing what I am talking about.

"It was from _her_ wasn't it?" Chrono asked.

"Took you long enough to figure it out…so getting back on topic, what did you want me to do?"

"Well, we have some evidence that some of the missing weapons have been moved to a place somewhere on Earth, more specifically near Japan. We would like you to help with our investigations and keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

I thought about it for a moment before answering, "I don't mind, so long as you don't force me to go chasing after them. I am supposed to be keeping a low profile on this planet, right? Man that sounded weird…"

"How so?"

"Planet…the fact that I traveled to another planet still hasn't quite sunk in…"

"If you still plan to join the TSAB someday, you'll get used to it," Chrono said laughing slightly.

"So what should I be on the look out for?"

"Well for one thing, you should watch for anything that exceeds the current technology level on Earth. While that much is obvious, you should also keep an eye out for abnormalities in the weather," Chrono explained.

"So in the end, it's still pretty vague what I am supposed to be looking out for…" I sighed. "But I'll do my best."

"Thank you for your assistance even though you're technically just a civilian," Chrono said bowing his head slightly.

"A civilian who also happens to 'officially' holds the rank of ensign," I joked.

"Well, I guess so. Well we'll let you know if we have any new information to what these thieves are after."

"Roger…and one more thing. You were planning on making me do this from the beginning weren't you?" I asked and Chrono gave me a wry smile. "It's those old geezers doing, huh?"

Other than Chrono, there were a few other Admirals who have taken an interest in the Devil Ärms, but they make Chrono do all the contact with me, probably playing it safe with me.

"Well, that's enough for today. Our agents will be arriving soon so please take care of her as much as possible," Chrono said changing the subject. "Until then, try to avoid using your power unnecessarily and rely on Nanoha and Subaru a bit more."

"Rely on Subaru…the same person who left her device at home…yeah I'll do that…" I mumbled softly as the screen vanished. "I guess I'd better get home."

As I made my way back home, the conversation I just had ran through my head. It feels like they said something really important that I should be aware of…something about taking care of someone…wait…WHAT!? Those jackasses were planning on using me from the very start? How the hell am I supposed to take care of them? GAH!! I'LL NEVER HELP THEM AGAIN!

I let out a huge sigh in frustration before pressing my eyes together. It's no use getting pissed at it now; I'll just have to deal with it when the time comes.

* * *

Another friend comes from a far bringing new faces along with them. Despite everything, trouble seems to follow close behind. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Rookies

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sigh...I need some more ideas...got the main events down but i'm not sure how to build up to them

UPDATE:

Changed my mind what the next chapter is about, need a little more time before I can get to that part


	7. Rookies

Author's Note

So very sorry about the lack of updating. Just wasn't sure how to get my ideas onto paper...err...pixels...in this case...

* * *

**Chapter 7: Rookies**

"I'm exhausted…"

After that conversation with Chrono and Fate-san, I was too annoyed to get any sleep, unfortunately causing me to stay awake the entire night…and to top it all off I don't feel sleepy at all yet my body feels like it has 30kg weights attached to it. Maybe it's the anxiety of knowing a TSAB Enforcer is coming here and I have to do the dirty work…or I'm just feeling sick…

Man, I can't stop thinking about it…maybe taking a bath would do me some good. Of course I'm gong to knock first…I certainly don't want any more typical romantic comedy-like situations again. At least…I think I don't…

After knocking on the door and waiting for around two minutes for an answer that did not come, I slowly opened the door to find no one inside…and no…I am NOT disappointed!

I turned on the water to fill the tub up as I started to take off my clothes. I was just about to remove my shorts when…

"Nnngh…"

The bathroom door opened and in came Subaru, still half-asleep. I am so mortified that I couldn't say anything and just stood there gaping like an idiot. She doesn't notice me at all as she starts to brush her teeth by the sink. I quietly and quickly gather up my clothes and try to sneak towards the door before she wakes up completely. But just as I was able to get a hold of the doorknob, she splashed water on her face ad looked up at the mirror.

I could see the reflection of her eyes as they started to focus on my image in the mirror, at the same time I could see my own face turning paler each passing second. Her eyes started to focus and realization spread across her face. I will accept my fate…

"Y-yo…" I said meekly…

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

"DOWAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAA!!!"

I can't help but think that I really should have seen this coming…

~ - ~

"Haaah…Why am I the one to get hit when I was the one walked in on?" I sighed as I held an ice pack to my right cheek and it sort of feels like my jaw has been dislocated slightly. Damn that girl…her punches hurt like crazy without a barrier…and even then…she specializes in barrier breaking…I got myself a dangerous girl…well…I probably should have locked the door…but…she really doesn't seem like the type to scream at seeing a guy half naked…

I spread myself across the couch and turned on the TV, oh looks like a new anime is starting soon. Other than that there doesn't seem to be anything interesting on.

As if to relieve me of my boredom, I received a signal from the TSAB and a monitor appeared in front of me. Nobody appeared on the monitor but instead instructions on where to meet the agents they were going to send…huh…create a field n the center of town to hide the drop ship and meet them underneath the ship. It's not so hard…but I hope it won't affect me too badly.

I quickly found some paper and a pen and wrote, "Hey Sakura, I'm going into town for a bit, eat lunch without me. Oh and please turn on the VCR to record channel 67 around 4 o'clock. Do **NOT** watch it. If you watch it you will cry and I will get in trouble with Kaa-san."

"Yeah that sounds about right." I said as I set the VCR up. After leaving the message on the table that I was going out I headed into town.

~ - ~

The center of the city…that would be the hospital…heh…what a place to be…I wonder if they fixed in the crack in the wall or not.

It took around an hour to get to the hospital by the subway. It makes me wish I still had my car…damn it, why did it have to blow up along with the base?

Inside the building were patients, visitors and the hospital staff, all minding there own business. I ignored everyone as I made my way to the staircase and ascended the stairs all the way to the roof. When I opened the door my eyes are greeted by lines of fresh sheets that are drying under the sun. I checked the time using my cell phone, it seems like its time.

"Shinken, Rho Aias, Blaze up! Barrier Armor, Lord form" Man that's so cool to say…

I cracked my fingers and started to string back Rho Aias. I launched multiple arrows into the air and they split into four directions. A small tingle in my fingers tells me they hit their mark and my sword floated up in front of me and two magic circles appeared on opposite sides of the handle. I pushed my hands through them and wrapped them around the handle of the blade.

As I did the sky and world around me began to darken and an aircraft started to descend from the sky above me. It stopped a few dozen meters above the hospital and I can see what looks to me like someone jumping out…but they don't look like they're confident in the landing with their arms flailing around like that…wait…WHAT!?!

I suddenly don't think this person jumped out on purpose anymore…it looks like they…fell out…am I dealing with amateurs?

Well before I worry about that…let's save the idiot…before some poor humanitarian worker is going to have to clean up a very, very red mess…mot fun for anyone. I spread my black and white wings out and sped towards the falling idiot.

I stopped underneath the loud screaming and stretched my arms out and waited as the screaming grew louder and louder until it ended with a loud "Oomph" right in my arms.

"Geez…falling off the transport on your first day of your new post…that's real professional," I said as I sighed and shook my head.

"It's not my fault! Those idiots pushed me out when I was looking out the door!"

"Hmm? Wait a minute…you're…"

"Huh? AHH! You're Kuro!"

In my arms was Teana Lanster, a strong-headed and strong willed girl that's around two years younger than me and was also my old partner back on Mid-Childa with Subaru.

I descended towards the hospital roof and set her down before we continued our conversation.

"It's been a while since we last met, huh?" she asked as she brushed herself off.

"Huh, I almost didn't recognize you for two reasons," I replied as I folded my arms and closed my eyes in thought. "One of which is your hair, I'm used to seeing them in twin tails, I think they suited you better."

"A-And the other?"

"Your bust seems to have increased another two or three centi-MRGH!"

I couldn't tell what she hit me with, but it sure was effective…I felt like I did some sort of backwards somersault and landed on my face.

"W-W-What the hell are you talking about?" She asked, completely flushed and holding her arms against her chest.

"Well I have quite a memory and remember that one time when I walked in on you and Subaru doing…'that' and then as I left you ran out and slammed into me, knocking me over and causing my hands to gra-ARGH!"

"Forget it!! FOR GET ALL OF IT!!!"

She's stomping on my head like there is no tomorrow…I'll lose one or two things much more important than that if she doesn't stop soon…ah! But this personality is still the same…

"TEANA-SAN!"

Through the sounds of my face meeting the ground and her foot meeting my skull I heard someone shout out Teana's name and she stopped trying to kill me long enough for me to raise my head and see two more people drop down beside us.

"A-are you alright ma'am?" one of them asked

"Of course not!" She shouted as she grabbed the other person who landed by the collar. "You idiots just knocked me off of a ship thirty kilometers in the sky!"

"I-it was Dalton's fault!" He said as he tried to pull Teana off of him. "He wouldn't stop trying to get my camera!"

"We are not here to play! We're here for work Kaufman!" Dalton argued back. He was someone that had the impression of "model soldier," ready to be at the whim of any superior officer. His clothes were spotless and he had a red badge attached to his chest above his heart.

The other one next to him, I think his name was Beckman, seemed like the exact opposite of Dalton. He had a more relaxed nature around him…maybe that's why the two of them don't seem to get along.

I slid my hand across my face to dislodge any pebbles stuck on it before standing up. I feel like I'm about to attempt to stop a fight between lions.

"So…who're your friends?" I asked as Teana finally released Beckman's collar and turned to me.

"These two idiots are Sergeants Alexander Dalton and Edward Kaufman…my partners, unfortunately," she added that last part pretty reluctantly.

"Oh come on Ma'am, don't be like that," Kaufman said as he tapped her on the shoulder. "You'll hurt our feelings."

"Uh…did he just call you 'Ma'am?" I asked. "Oh that's right, you're an Enforcer now aren't you?"

"Err…not just yet…" She said quietly. "I just outrank them a little…"

"We're all still in training, not full fledge Enforcers yet," Dalton said. "We're here on a mission as part of that training."

"Now that I think about it…what are you doing on this planet?" Teana asked.

"Oh right…I guess there is a question to be asked about that…" I muttered as I opened a monitor. "One reason is that it seems like I'm going to be assisting you in this mission. The second reason is…well, I live here."

"Oh, that's right…I remember you mentioning that way back when…" Teana said as she placed her hand on her chin. "Wait…then…when they said CO…"

I shrugged before moving my hand over my forehead in a salute. "Lieutenant Kimura Yuuki will take command of this operation until further notice," I mumbled.

"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!!?"

I've been tricked into this as well; so don't blame me about what happens next…is something I really want to say right now, but seriously you don't need to be so surprised…

"Anyway, lets remove this stupid field. I'm starting to hate the color red…" I said as I removed my armor and the field disappeared as well. "You all came a long way, how about I take you out to eat as a token for our first meeting and for the road ahead?"

"No it's okay!" Dalton said quickly. "We can't possibly ask that much from you, sir!"

Yep, I was right, a total military archetype…

"Don't be so uptight all the time, Dalton!" Kaufman said as he smacked him on the top of his head. "We'll take you up on that offer, Lieutenant!"

And this guy has no shame…

"Sorry to bother you," Teana muttered as we headed down the stairs.

"Don't worry about it," I replied. "It's been a while, so it's the least I could do. There was also this new restaurant that opened up recently, so this is a good chance as well."

~ - ~

The restaurant was a few blocks away from the hospital and along the way Teana and I took the opportunity to catch up with each other.

"So how did you end up with these two?" I asked looking back at Kaufman and Dalton. "Their personalities are at the opposite ends of the spectrum…"

"Well…you can't choose your partners," Teana mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Even though they don't quite act like it, they're very talented. Alex is the point guard and Edward is our support."

"Um…not to be rude but…" I quickly looked at Kaufman, who was taking pictures of pretty much everything. "Are you okay?"

"He always does that…but he always seem to pull through in a tough spot," she replied. "And his personality is more or less like yours."

"Ouch…so you think that lowly of me huh?"

"It's because you have yet to give me a reason to think otherwise, Kuro…oh I mean its Yuuki, right?"

"Kuro is fine…everyone has been calling me that for so long, I like it better than my real name now…"

"Hmm…well, if you say so."

It wasn't long after this that we arrived at the restaurant.

"Whoa, it's pretty packed in there," Kaufman said as he peered through the window. "Are you sure this place is new?"

"Well it wasn't here last week, so yeah it's new," I said as I opened the door and headed inside.

A bright and cheery "Welcome!" greeted me, which was immediately followed by a loud "AHH!" and then by a agonizing pain in my face and then a "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"I came here for lunch…but I think I'll stay for the pleasure of this," I said with an evil grin. In front of me is Kobayashi Kasumi…clad in a maid uniform…I am going to have fun with this.

"Please…I beg you…eat and then leave…"

"Sorry, I have company today," I said as I stepped off to the side to show her a completely dumbfounded Teana.

"W-what in the world are you wearing/doing here?" they asked each other in unison.

A short explanation as well as an introduction came after that, and she quickly understood the situation.

"I see…so that's how it is," she said as she nodded a bit. Ahh…was it too naïve of me to hope for a normal life again after last year?"

Is she crying?

"Kobayashi-san…please get back to work," someone said behind her.

"Ayumi? What are you doing here?" I asked. Just like Kasumi, she too was wearing a maid uniform and holding some drinks on a tray.

"She was the one who helped me get this job in this place," Kasumi explained as stepped of to the side.

"Boss-san is an acquaintance," she said with a "V" pose as she placed the drinks in front of us. What kind of acquaintance a girl like this would have is somewhere in the "I want to know but I'd feel like its better off not knowing" pool of the world.

"Oh, this is Aizawa Ayumi, my friend's cousin," I said quickly to the other three.

"Ah, more aliens…" Ayumi muttered.

"PFFT!" I did a spit take into my straw causing my drink to overflow. T-this girl…does she know?

"A-Ayumi-chan…what are you saying?" Kasumi asked quickly.

"They are not from this country, so they are aliens right?" she asked looking at the TSAB members and then to Kasumi and then me.

"T-then you should call them 'foreigners' and not…'aliens'…"

"I see…I apologize," she said with a low bow.

"I-it's okay," Teana replied. "We're not really bothered…"

"Okay, then everything is settled," Ayumi quickly straightened her posture and grabbed Kasumi by the shoulder. "Go get the other tables' orders."

"Okay, okay, you don't need to rush me."

As the two of them left I let out a sigh of relief. Ayumi seems to be a lot more perceptive than she lets on…or she's a lot more random than she lets on…

"That girl…she's…unique," Kaufman said as he watched her run around doing her work.

"Hearing her call us aliens…you normally don't think about it like that, huh?" Dalton asked as he stirred his drink with his straw.

"Hmm…now that I think about it, where are you guys planning to stay for the duration of this mission?"

A cold ringing silence answers my question…I feel like I've been cheated even more so…one freeloader is already hard enough…but three more? Can our budget really handle it?

~ - ~

"I wonder if this is a good idea after all…"

"Wasn't this your idea in the first place, Lieutenant?"

After we had finished eating, I suggested getting permission to let them stay from my mom. And since I know it would be a no go if I asked over the phone…but I might be killed if she rejects me going face to face.

"Yes, well…when you meet her, you'll probably see why I'm so hesitant about it…" I muttered as I entered her shop. It's the same as usual; crowded and filled with girls screeching over clothes, I wonder how Kaa-san ever got used to this.

"Yuu-kun? What are you doing here?" Kaa-san asked as she appeared from behind a stand.

"K-Kaa-san! Keep it down please…" I said as I covered my face quickly. "I'd rather not get mobbed right now."

"Being overly arrogant, huh?" she asked as she poked me in the side.

"No…I'm not…a-anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it? Wait, let's move over here first."

I followed her to the register area where she rang up some clothes for a few customers as she listened to the crap excuse I thought up on the way here.

"So my friends over there were here on vacation but their hotel had screw up and lost their reservation. So I was wondering…if we could…let them…stay…with…us…?"

She's glaring at me…this isn't good.

"Why do you have so many out of country friends?" she asked. "What were you doing when you were on your own?"

"I was abducted by aliens, forced to enlist in their army, trained with a parasitical weapon, fought in a small scale war, and got a girlfriend." Of course, I can't say that…she'd think I'd gone crazy…

"Hmm…could it be…?"

Eep?

"You were doing more of that 'cosplay' and anime stuff again, weren't you?"

"Well…I did wear some interesting clothes…" They protected me from getting blasted to hell along with a helicopter, made me travel through buildings, let me fly, and heal me within a single night.

"Well, at least you were still able to do stuff you liked despite everything."

I hadn't discussed anything with my parents. Where I lived, how I supported myself…so many secrets even now.

"Well, enough of that for now…about your friends…I guess we can clear out 'that' old room…and place your other friend with Subaru-san."

"I see…thank you," I said as I bowed my head. "I'm always giving you more and more trouble everyday…"

"You're a child and a boy, you are supposed to give me trouble," she said as she patted me on the shoulder.

"I'm not so much of a child anymore…I'm nineteen now…"

"Would you like me to say something a stereotypical mother would say at this point?"

"…No thanks…I think I know where this is going."

"Anyway, your father should be home around this time," Kaa-san said as she looked at her watch. "Head home and clean out 'that' room for your friends, I'll let him know what's going on. Also help him out with dinner tonight, since we have three more mouths to feed now."

"Y-yes…of course…"

"That" room, huh? I'm not sure I feel comfortable with two guys sleeping in "that" room…but I have no intention of letting anyone sleep in my room with me…too much "private" stuff, and its not hospitable to make them sleep in the living room either…sigh… this would have been much simpler if I was still living in my apartment…

I walked towards the place other three were standing. It seems Teana does have a feminine side after all; she's holding up multiple different sweaters against herself while looking at a full body mirror. Dalton was standing against a wall with a exasperated look at Kaufman…who was flirting with a whole bunch of girls…are we going to be okay?

"Hey you three, let's go already," I called out as Teana turned around and quickly put the sweater back on the shelf.

"Was it okay?" Teana asked as she and Dalton headed over to me, the latter dragging Kaufman by the collar.

"Yeah, we're going to have to clear some stuff out of an old room, but you guys can stay at my house."

"Sorry to bother you so much, Lieutenant," Dalton said as he let go of Kaufman's collar, letting his head slam on the ground.

"Ugh…please don't call me that, it feels weird," I said shuddering slightly. "Call me by name."

"Roger, Yuu-san," Kaufman said as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Ugh…don't get so familiar with me…"

"Understood, Kimura-san!"

"When I said name…I meant first name…"

"You are having a tough time aren't you, Kuro?" Teana asked as she gave me a pat on the back.

"Annoyed…tired…want to go home…forget this ever happened…"

My train of though along with my entire body seemed to be lagging. This entire day was nothing but one bad happening after another. Getting smashed in the face for being walked on by Subaru, getting my head stepped on by Teana, getting hit by a serving tray and finally this. I can't help but sigh at all of this…Seeing Teana again was fine, but I also have to deal with someone who needs to loosen up and another person who needs to shape up…I'll remember this, Admiral…Fate-san…

* * *

Another splendid reunion, dampened by a mystery close by. The secret behind the masks, a foe in the disguise of a friend. What is the meaning behind all of this? Next time, on Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha StarS: The Lonely Soldier.

* * *

Author's Note:

Need to plan for regular updates...once a month is too dumb...when was my last update anyway?

Ah well...I'm slowly getting to the part that I want to do. Just a little bit more...

Title for next chapter subject to change XP

Oh and Please review, i need incentive!!


	8. The Lonely Soldier

Author's Note

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It feels GREAT to finally finish this chapter...let's hope for faster updates damn it!

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Lonely Soldier**

Ugh…finally back home…but I still have a lot of work to do. I feel like I've been feeling exhausted a lot lately…could it be because of her? No…it's just coincidence…just coincidence that these last few days drain all of my stamina…ha ha…it was like this on Mid-Childa as well, right?

The sun was setting by the time we arrived at my house, and all I could think of was relaxing and watch the recording.

"Are you feeling okay, Kuro? That was the tenth sigh since we left your mother's shop," Teana said as we walked up the stone path. I can't believe she kept track of something like that…hmm?

The curtains of the house are closed…wonder what the heck they are doing… wait…they didn't…they couldn't have…Oyaji would have stopped them…but he might not…oh…crap…

"H-hey, think you guys could wait outside for a moment?" I asked quickly with my hand on the door.

"Hmm? Sure but why?"

"Just…hang on for a moment…"

I quickly but quietly unlocked the door and looked around from the doorway. Oyaji's shoes aren't here…I guess he left to buy more groceries for dinner or something. I made my way to the living room where I can hear the static of the TV. The VCR was on, showing that someone had been watching a tape…or a recorded show…oh no…

"She didn't…"

I quickly ran over to Sakura's room and opened the door screaming, "I thought I made it clear that you were not supposed to-"

"KYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"GUOFFRAGHA!!"

Something very hard and very heavy collided with my face. As I landed on the floor with my back against the wall and upside down for some reason, I could hear something squeaking on both sides of my head…the sound of wheels rotating and slowing to a stop. No way…she threw the wheelchair at me? Wait, there were two people screaming, I guess Subaru saw it too. Interesting how I noted that there were two people before I wondered how Sakura could throw a wheelchair at me…

"Oh, it was Yuu-kun," I hear Subaru say as she walked toward me.

"Yeah…it was me…why would it be someone who needs a wheelchair thrown at them?" I asked as she pulled the wheelchair off of me…hey…I don't think my leg is supposed to bend that way…oh wait…yes it is.

"I'm really amazed at how well you deal with the constant beatings," she said as she put the wheelchair down and lifted Sakura on top of it.

"I blame my upbringing…wait don't change the subject on me!" I shouted as I tried to stand up properly.

"We were talking about something?"

"Yes! Wait…I'm not…uh…ah damn it, my brain is messed up from taking too much damage today…"

"Hmm? Did something happen to you in town?" Subaru asked as she pulled on my arms to stretch my broken and bent body out.

As she said this, I can hear more footsteps coming from the hallway.

"Kuro, are you okay? We heard screaming…huh?"

Ah, it's Teana and crew, thought I told them to wait outside…wait did I ever tell them that the other was here?

"What are you doing here? Me? I'm here for work. No, I mean at this house. I'm staying here…what!?!"

Whoa…it's like listening in stereo…guess I got some explaining to do before I feel more pain.

~ - ~

It didn't take long to explain the situation to them; of course I had to make sure Sakura didn't hear, or understand, what we were talking about. It wasn't too hard, as she was still too freaked out by the movie to come out of her room.

"I see, so that's what's going on," Subaru said as she nodded her head in understanding. "But why didn't you tell me this?"

"I got the call late at night and I didn't think either of us were in the mood for a civilized chat this morning…" I mumbled as I unconsciously rubbed my cheek.

"Ah…that's right…I almost forgot about that…"

"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Teana asked.

"Love trouble, don't worry about it," I said as I leaned back on my chair.

"HUH!? What are you-?"

"Come to think of it, where did my dad go, Subaru?"

"He said he had to go buy something…ah, I guess it was because you guys were coming here."

"I see…so I guess we'll be eating late then."

"Hey, don't change the subject on me!"

"Let it go, Teana-san," Kaufman said. "They already forgot about us."

"Um…Onii-chan?" We all turned around and saw Sakura poking her head from the doorway. She was balancing a tray with some drinks on it on her legs as she wheeled herself toward the table. "I was wondering if anyone wanted a drink."

"Oh let me help you with that," Subaru said as she got up and quickly walked over to Sakura.

"Is that your little sister?" Teana asked me in a low whisper.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"The two of you look nothing alike…"

"Huh, really? That's the first time I heard something like that," I replied as I looked over toward Sakura, who was handing the tray over to Subaru.

"Probably because she seems so much more reliable than her 'Onii-chan,'" She smirked.

"Ouch, that's pretty harsh."

"But to be honest…I thought she would be a bit more…you know…?"

I didn't say anything as Subaru set some glasses in front of us. I don't blame her for thinking that, as the only things she knows of my sister were my biased accounts of how I saw her and it was all bad. Of course, even now I still have no idea how she really feels, since I believe she is wearing the "mask" of a little girl who's happy to see her brother again. Teana seemed to notice my desire to not talk about it, as she didn't say anything else as she looked over at Sakura, who seems to be having fun talking with Dalton.

Oyaji came home about half an hour later with Kaa-san with him. The two of them were carrying several pizza boxes with them.

"Too many people to cook for on such notice?" I asked as I took the boxes from my mother.

"Yes, and this will also tell us how much food it will take to feed everyone until they leave," she said. "Which will be when exactly?" Her little add-in caught me off guard. How long _were_ they planning on staying anyway?

"Uh…three weeks?" Maybe? She was giving me the "Mom" look, telling me that she didn't believe me at all; my insane sweating sure didn't help. She let out a small sigh before taking all of the pizza boxes from my hands and handing me two of them.

"Well they can stay as long as they like oh and after eating, hurry up and clean the room out for your friends," she said as she hauled the rest of them towards the others, leaving me in the entranceway, more relieved than ever before in my life.

~ - ~

I don't really remember what happened after that. Last thing I do remember doing was spend a few hours moving boxes and stuff out of the room and then collapsing on the sofa in the living room. I guess I must have fallen asleep and everyone just decided to leave me here. Hell someone could have at least gotten me a blanket or something…hmm?

I hear someone walking down the stairs and then they didn't notice me as they out the door. It's almost midnight; I can't believe that someone is going outside at a time like this…well other than me of course. I got up and followed the person out the door.

"Isn't it late for a stroll, Sergeant?" I asked as I caught up to him.

Dalton turned around quickly at my call. "Oh, Lieutenant…no wait, Kimura-san, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I just saw you leaving the house, so I thought I'd take a walk with you or something."

"Ah, I see," he replied as he looked up at the stars.

"So, how is it?" I asked as I stood next to him.

"Hmm? How is what?"

"Living on this planet," I added.

"Ah, well I guess it's a bit inconvenient due to the lack of the conveniences of a TSAB controlled world…but this simple kind of life is pretty nice," he replied as he looked back up at the stars.

"'Simple life' huh? Our definitions of that are completely different. But at least we agree this planet is a good place," I said as I also looked up.

"Excuse me, Kimura-san. May I ask you something?"

"Sure go ahead."

"Why did you join the TSAB? You just don't seem like the type of person who particularly likes giving orders or being ordered around."

His extremely blunt and out of character, at least how I saw him, remark fazed me a bit so it took awhile for me to think of my response. "Haha, that's a pretty blunt yet accurate description of me just based on my image."

"I apologize!" he said bowing quickly.

"No, it's okay…let's see…well I got involved in the Jail Scaglietti pretty early on and I just sort of got roped into it as an Ensign. From there I was transferred to the old Mobile Section 6 unit where I met Teana-san and Subaru as well."

My mind immediately went back to the first day at the base as well as the events that occurred that day…including one VERY unpleasant detail involving some spheres.

"Ah, I remember that…it ended around three months ago right?"

"Yeah, after the destruction of the Cradle by the space fleet."

"Hmm…yes that was in the achieves when I went to read up on that incident…now that I think of it…I kind of thought something was strange with that part…" he had his hand on his chin as he mumbled to himself.

"Strange? How so?"

"There were no remains of the ship found after it was fired upon."

"Well those lasers were pretty powerful…"

"But one should still find some debris no matter how efficient the beam was."

"Hmm…I suppose you're right." I added with a nod of my head. "Wait, why were you looking up that event anyway?"

"I wanted to know about the people I was going to be working with so I took a look at them. I didn't expect both you and Teana-san to be so closely related though."

"Oi, when you put it that way, it seems like she's the one I'm dating…"

"Well to me, the two of you _are_ pretty close…that was the first time I've ever seen her so flustered…" Really? She always seems to act that way around Subaru and me…well I guess the two of us always seemed to drive her crazy.

"Now how about you? Why did you join the TSAB?"

"Ah…it's pretty simple compared to your case. It's simply because of my family. My entire family is in the TSAB and so I practically grew up with all its regulations and formalities."

"Oh…so that's why you kept on calling me by rank and talk so formally…"

"Yes…I apologize for that bad habit of mine…it also annoyed many of my fellow trainees…and caused my academy years to be…lonesome…"

"Then where does Kaufman factor in?"

"He's the type of person who latches onto others without their consent. I trust him in his abilities as a support mage and as a comrade, but I do not think of him as a friend in the least!"

"Hahaha…well…if you say so…"

"But the two of you get along so well" is what I want to say but it doesn't seem like he'd want to hear it right now. After a little silence I decided to change the topic.

"Oh that's right; earlier I saw you talking with my little sister, what were you talking about?"

"Hmm? Oh not much. She just asked a few questions about me…pretty much like what you're doing right now."

"Huh, that's unusual. She normally doesn't talk to people that eagerly…maybe she's taking a liking to you…"

"Hmm, I wonder about that."

"Do you have any sisters?"

"I don't but I do have two older brothers though."

"Uwah, sounds tough. You probably have to deal with being compared to them all the time huh?"

"It's not as bad as you make it sound, although I do have a lot of expectations thrown onto me."

The two of us kept on talking about our own lives for a while before I realized just how late it was.

"Oh crap it's almost two in the morning," I said as I looked up from my watch. "I'm going to be half dead today…"

"It is? I'm sorry to take up so much of your time," Dalton said as he started to head back inside.

"Don't worry about it. We're friends right?"

"Huh?" Dalton turned around at my sentence. "When did we become friends?"

"Hmm? Since you guys showed up on my doorstep and then we had this lovely heart to heart with each other."

"I…I guess so…is this normally how it's done?" He asked holding his hand to his chin in deep thought.

"Oi, oi…don't think about it too much Dalton…or can I call you Alex?"

"Alex is fine."

"Then call me Yuuki," I said as I extended my hand out to him. "I look forward to working with you, partner."

"Yes sir!" he enthusiastically as he grabbed my hand.

We shook hands and he went back inside while I decided to stay outside a bit longer. As I looked back up at the moon, I am reminded by a lot of things that has happened in my life. Although most of the things that stand out were bad ones, there were still a few happy things in there, such as meeting Subaru and the others.

As I turned around to head back inside the door opened for me. On the other side of the doorway was Sakura, trying to catch her breath.

"Hmm? Why are you up this late?" I asked as she looked up at me. "Huh? Why are you crying?"

"Be-because…Onii-chan wasn't sleeping on the couch…and I heard the door open…and your shoes weren't inside…" she cried as she rubbed her eyes.

I see…she was worried that I left the house again…I guess I hurt more than just myself when I left the house.

"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere like that again…" I said as I hugged her. "I may go out for a walk now and then but I'll definitely come back and I won't move out again without telling you first."

"You promise?" she asked as she looked up at me. Her eyes reflected the moon in the night sky. "You won't disappear again?"

"Yeah, I promise."

As she pulled her face from my chest and I can see her smile brightly, as if she hadn't been crying at all.

"Huh?" She suddenly gasped.

"Hmm? What is it?" I asked her.

"There are some shadows standing on that house…"

"WHAT?"

I turned my head with such force that I heard my neck crack, and I managed to catch a glimpse of what she saw. Three robed figures on top of the telephone pole, one with a scythe, one with multiple claws extending from its back, and one standing in between the two as if their leader. But the next second they disappeared without a trace. It was that Fate look-a-like…as well as that other cyborg that I met right afterwards…are they working together? Then why the heck did he warn me? Is he a double agent or something…or is it a trap…

"Onii-chan…it hurts…"

"Ah!" I quickly let go of Sakura's shoulder and she rubbed it.

"Sorry about that…"

"Onii-chan, did you know them?"

"N-no…I mean, what are you saying? Nobody is standing up there this late at night." I said as I quickly pushed her inside and closed the door behind me. "You're probably just sleepy, it's REALLY late after all."

I quickly wheeled her into her room and when I tried to put her on her bed I noticed someone sleeping in it already. "Eh? Why is Subaru in here?"

"Umm…I didn't want to sleep alone…that movie…"

"Ahh…that's why I told you not to watch it…" I sighed as set her down next to Subaru, who was mumbling something in her sleep…I think she's drooling a little too. After all that happened I had completely forgotten about that movie. It was a slasher film that was based off a popular horror anime a while back. "I knew this was going to happen and Kaa-san is going to be mad at me because of it…"

"But Subaru Onee-chan said it was going to be fun!" She said as she pointed towards Subaru. Her peaceful sleeping face made me want to smack her.

"You listen to her but not to me?" I asked as I pulled her cheeks and she started wiggling her arms, apologizing and trying to pull herself away from me. "Well, it's okay. Goodnight." But before I could close the door, she spoke up again.

"Um…Onii-chan, can I ask a favor?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Can you sleep here too? I'd feel safer if both of you were here," she said timidly.

"Hmm…but your bed is kind of small and wouldn't it be…cramped?" She was looking at me with sad puppy dog eyes…I'm so weak…

"Fine, you win!" I said as I sat down beside her bed. "I'll just lay down here then."

"Do you need a blanket?"

"No, I'm fine. Just go to sleep."

She nodded and rested her head on her pillow and in a few minutes she was fast asleep while I stared off into space. Too many things are happening too quickly…there is an enemy around here and they know where I am and those who are important to me. What are they waiting for? What are they after? Why are they here? Too many questions are arising from this.

I then took out a chip from my pocket and held it up above me, the almost complete CC data…I looked at Subaru who was peacefully sleeping as well. As I looked back and forth between them I wonder to myself, "Why am I trying so hard to decode this data?" and "Why can't I get rid of this bad feeling I have?"

* * *

As the mysteries pile on top of each other, will his world be able to contain it? The curtain rises to the conflict that is beginning. Next time, on Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Hell's Prelude.

* * *

Author's Note:

Look forward to it!


	9. Hell's Prelude

Author's Note

Ahahahaha...sigh...while writing this I learned that I do not excel in, what i first thought, writing romances but rather those sad touching scenes that tug at your heart strings...being good at writing romances is just a side effect as there's usually a dark cloud over ever good couple...sigh...

Long chapter is long...

* * *

**Chapter 9: Hell's Prelude**

Three weeks have passed since the others came to Earth. During that time, Teana was roped by Kaa-san into working at the store, Alex occasionally went out to check the surrounding area to see if he could find any indication where the smuggled items were and as for Dalton…he seemed to have fallen for Ami-chan and he's been heading over to the restaurant where she and Kasumi works at…I don't mind much, since we weren't getting anywhere with the investigation anyways.

Once again I was in my room working on the CC data. It was close to being finished and I was in an ending streak high, and just as I finished it…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" there was a loud scream coming from downstairs that caused me to jump so badly that I fell out of my chair.

"Sakura?" I asked to no one as I quickly ran out of my room and down the stairs.

When I arrived I saw Subaru looking at my father and Subaru, the latter of which was clinging onto the couch and screaming while Oyaji was trying to pull her off it.

"Ah, Yuu-kun, good morning," Subaru greeted me with a smile when she heard me coming down the stairs.

"W-what's going on?" I asked Subaru as I walked towards her.

"Um…it seems that Shichiro-san wanted to take Sakura-chan to the hospital or something but…" Subaru said as she looked over at them again.

At this point Oyaji seemed to have given up and Sakura immediately wheeled herself into her room and closed the door behind her. I watched my father sigh and scratch his head a bit before he turned and saw us.

"How long were you watching?" he asked softly.

"Since the beginning…" Subaru said honestly.

"Since the loud ass scream…" I admitted as well. "What's going on? There's no way she's not used to the hospital by now right?"

He let out another sigh before motioning at us to sit down. "Actually…the reason I wanted to take her to the hospital was for a prosthetic evaluation."

"Eh?" I let out a small gasp in shock.

"Your mother and I had been talking about it ever since you left. We thought that if she were able to walk again you'd come home. Of course you decided to come home anyway…" As he said it I felt like crap. I never really realized what I put them through and I wonder if I even want to know. "But we had already started the check ups and everything so we decided to keep going with it especially since it was so long after the surgery it was hard work to be able to get the doctor's approval since there was a greater risk of edema. We finally got the okay at the last check-up for a evaluation and it's supposed to be today but…she doesn't seem to want them."

"Huh? Didn't you tell her about them? Why would she suddenly change her mind?"

"Of course we talked to her about them but…" He suddenly stopped talking and took another sigh. I can't help but blame myself again. "But I don't think she really heard us. She kept on saying, 'Whatever you want' over and over." Again I feel bad.

"Anyway…we need to leave in about an hour to barely make it, do you think the two of you can somehow convince her before then?" he asked as he got up and looked at his watch. "I have to make a quick stop somewhere."

"Uh…sure…" Where was he going?

As soon as he left I realized Subaru hadn't said a single thing the entire time. She seemed to be worrying about something.

"T-that's right, where are the others? I haven't seem them today," I asked trying to break the cold atmosphere that I was probably imagining.

"Hmm? Oh…I think Aoi-san made them leave with her this morning," she said in a monotone voice. This was really starting to worry me.

"Hey Yuu-kun," she began slowly. "How are the prosthetic limbs like here?"

"Well I don't know much about it…all I know is that the ones for a transtibial amputation are said to be able to recover the easiest due to the fact that they still had the use of their knees, so the hardest part for her would just be balancing and walking again."

"I see," she mumbled.

There was another long silence between us and I started to feel uncomfortable again. She started to scratch her head in frustration when she suddenly stopped and looked at her hand and kept on staring at it for a minute or two.

"I have an idea!" she said and suddenly stood up right when I was going to ask her what she was thinking of. She turned to look at me who was completely dumbfounded. "I'm going to talk to Sakura-chan by myself first, is that okay?"

"Uh…sure…go ahead," I babbled. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll leave the comm. on so you can see for yourself," she said as she opened a small monitor and knocked on Subaru's door before entering.

I quickly muted mine so Sakura wouldn't hear anything I did. I can see Sakura's back through it as Subaru walked toward her.

"Are you feeling okay, Sakura-chan?" she asked her as she knelt down beside her. "Did your father bully you?" Sakura didn't answer her; instead she just shook her head, "No." "Really? That's good then so you don't have to be mad at him right?" Again she shook her head. "Then what's wrong? Why don't you want to get the legs? You'll be able to walk with your brother again right? You'd like that right?"

My chest started to hurt when she said it. To see Sakura walk again is something I'd very much like to see, but I wasn't sure if it was possible before now. Sakura nodded her head this time and I could see Subaru's face light up; it looks like it was going as she planned.

"Then, why not?" Subaru asked her question a little more strongly this time.

There was a long silence, as Sakura seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts. She then looked up at Subaru. "Because Onii-chan would hate it!"

Huh? That was not an answer I was expecting…especially since it's completely false.

Subaru seems to think so as well. "Really? How come?"

"Because it's weird!"

"But your brother likes a lot weird things though doesn't he?"

"It's weird and ugly and it seems gross! Having metal things stuck inside you is weird!" Sakura was almost shouting at Subaru right now and although I could only see the side of her face, Subaru seemed a little hurt…

"Sakura-chan…can you put your ear next to my arm?" Subaru asked as she raised her arm up. Sakura looked confused for a moment but did so anyway…ah…now I get it…so that's what she was planning to do. She started to move her fingers slowly, and then her wrist, and then her forearm, and then the rest of her arm.

I could see Sakura's small eyes open wide as she realizes what Subaru was doing and I could also see that she looked really worried as she looked at Subaru in the eyes.

"Subaru Onee-chan…is this?" she asked slowly.

"That's right, and it's not just this arm…my entire body was like this ever since I could remember. Your brother knows about this too and he doesn't mind it at all," she said with a small and gentle smile.

"I'm sorry…" Sakura looked like she was about to cry as she rubbed her eyes.

"That's okay. So can you tell me the real reason why you don't want them?"

She stopped rubbing her eyes and nodded. "Because…Onii-chan…" What it's because of me again? "Onii-chan might be sad and leave again…"

"Eh?!?" Subaru and I gasped at the same time. "Why do you think that?"

"Because…whenever he saw me before…he would look scared and run away…he even fell down the tairs when he saw me once!"

"Ah…" Subaru mumbled, as she seemed to recall something. That's right, I remember telling her about it.

"And then…" Sakura continued. "I heard him talking with Okaa-san and Otou-san before he left that he wanted to leave because he couldn't be near me and that it was his fault I was like this. I don't want him to be sad. I don't want him to blame himself. I don't want him…to disappear again!"

She was crying now and Subaru was trying to wipe her tears while taking glances at where the monitor was. "B-but he's here right now right? Didn't he promise that he'd say here with you until you wouldn't need him anymore?"

Sakura nodded her head, "But what exactly does that mean? Does that mean if I can walk again then I don't need him? I don't want him to go…but I don't want him to only worry about me…Onii-chan loves Subaru Onee-chan too!"

Subaru seemed taken back by Sakura's honesty and was blushing while glancing at the monitor. "T-that's right…isn't it?" she asked.

"I love Subaru Onee-chan too! I want you to be happy with Onii-chan…but if I make him stay here all the time then you might be sad and leave…and Onii-chan will be sad again…and he might hate me…I don't want that!" Sakura started crying harder now as tears streamed out of her eyes.

"Shh…shh…it's okay, your brother won't ever have to hate you for that. I know you are important to him…maybe even more than I am, so I understand if he has to take care of you first, and if something does happen he won't be mad. Your brother is a strong person after all right?" asked as she looked over at the monitor again.

"I don't know…" Sakura replied shaking her head.

"Huh?"

"I don't know…ever since that time…I haven't talked with Onii-chan. Things he likes to eat, things he likes to play, the things he hates…I only know those things before then. The Onii-chan now doesn't like those things anymore…"

As I listened to Sakura, I realized that it was the same thing for me about her. I don't know her hobbies, I don't know her friends, I don't know where she likes to hang out…it was like my sister was a total stranger to me. I thought I was doing a good job patching up our relationship…but now…now I feel like all I did was make the gap even bigger than ever.

I had done it again…this time without even realizing it. I created the mask of a caring older brother who thought he knew everything about his little sister and created another wall around my heart.

I heard the door open and close and I looked up to see Subaru walking back towards me.

"Yuu-kun…" she said softly. She didn't say anything else and sat down next to me. I was glad she wasn't saying anything right now. I feel like if she did I would take all this anger and frustration out on her when she did nothing wrong.

I heard the front door open but didn't raise my head up.

"Ah, Shichiro-san, welcome back…" Subaru said as she got up and headed over to him.

"Ah…how's Sakura?" he asked quickly.

"She said she'll go, but she's still not sure about getting the prosthetics."

"I see…well that's fine for now, thank you for your trouble."

"Oh no, it was the least I could do after causing your family so much trouble…hmm? Yuuki, what's the matter?"

He finally noticed that I was slouched over on the couch. I didn't want to talk to him right now.

"Ah, he's just tired!" Subaru said quickly as she rushed over to me. "I'll help him up to his room."

"Ah…thank you. I have to take Sakura now…Yuuki, feel better okay?"

I looked up at him and gave a small nod. For some reason, I felt the distance between me and my family grow even more just from his comment, which was filled with nothing but concern for me…

~ - ~

Subaru helped me to my room and when we got inside, my legs gave out and I slumped down on the door with my head in my knees and under my arms.

"Yuu-kun…" Subaru said as she tried to hug me.

I shook her arms off and mumbled, "I'm pathetic right?"

"Eh?"

"Don't you remember? When we talked right after you got here, you said I made up with my family? I was so sure everything was fine and looked what happened!"

No…I need to stop…

"Sakura doesn't even know me anymore…and guess what? I don't know squat about her either!"

Stop…it's not her fault!

"Even just right now!"

Stop…stop…stop before you regret it again…

"When he told me to feel better! Didn't it seem so cold? It makes me wonder if I'm even a part of this stupid family anymore! I was probably retarded to even try!"

"STOP IT!!!"

Subaru's cry made me look up at her. She was crying again…just like that one time…after Vivio came to Section 6. Why am I making her cry again?

"It's not your fault! Why do you treat yourself like this? Why do you always insist that everything bad that happens is because you did something or because you didn't do enough of something?" She raised her arm up and for a moment I thought she was going to slap me like last time but instead she wiped the tears off of her face.

"Your mom told me this…she said that one time when you were seven years ol the two of you were washing dishes together and she dropped one of them. You immediately apologized saying that you didn't get all the soap off of it and that's why it slipped. Why is it your fault and not just a mistake on your mom's part?"

"I…that was…"

"You can't blame yourself for everything all the time. Your relationship with your family isn't your fault! It takes at least two people to form a relationship and both sides must be honest with each other. Or else they wouldn't get anywhere. You did your best…I think this time it's just that Sakura is still trying her best. You are the one who has to wait for her."

She was smiling now. Her smile was like a ray of comfort to me. I remember why I fell in love with her in the first place. She could always see through me and knew what I wanted to hear.

"I…I'm glad…" I croaked softly. My throat was sore from my feeling sorry for myself.

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad that you're with me right now…" I said this as I looked up at her and her she immediately turned her face out of embarrassment. "If this had happened while you weren't here…I'd probably be wasting away in a big empty room again…all alone…"

"You dummy…" she said as she held her hand out to me and pulled me to my feet. "Don't you remember? You have plenty of other people to lean on when you're in trouble."

She was looking at my pictures on my dresser. Two more have been added since I graduated, one with all of my friends, both from the TSAB and on Earth and another one with everyone who was living in the house right now.

As I looked at them for a bit I then turned my attention to Subaru who was already looking at me.

"Hey…you want to go out somewhere?" I asked her.

"Hmm, why all of a sudden?" She asked.

"Because," I said as I looked back over at the pictures, more specifically the one with just the two of us in it. "Ever since I asked you out, the two of us have never gone out on a real date, with just the two of us."

"That's because of work and everybody suddenly showing up right?" she asked giggling.

"Or just my neglect…"

"Hey…didn't we just say that you shouldn't blame yourself for everything?"

"Ah…that's right…my bad…"

"Jeez, you really are hopeless."

She wasn't mad at me anymore. She was laughing. I felt like I was falling for her all over again. I slowly put my arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She looked up at my face and closed her eyes. I brought my face down on her and kissed her. The two of us stayed like that for some odd number of minutes. I was too happy to count.

~ - ~

"It's the sea!"

Subaru and I decided to go to the beach after all of that trouble.

"Hey you sure you're okay?" I asked as I carried our stuff off of the bus. "It doesn't still hurt or anything right?"

"Don't worry! I'm perfectly okay!" she said pumping her arms up.

"Hmm…hmm…poke, poke…"

"AH!" she cried out in pain as I poked her. "What are you doing?"

"See? You're still in pain…"

"You idiot! Don't go poking people right there!" she said as she started smacking me.

"Ow! That hurts! You need to learn to pull your punches! It was a joke! Stop it! I'm going to drop everything!"

"It's your fault in the first place," she mumbled as she started walking away from me.

"Ah…mah…well you seem fine…let's leave aside what happened and whose fault it was and wasn't and just move on. We need to get a spot before it gets too crowded," I said as I ran forward a bit to walk at her side.

"It's still the springtime here right?" Subaru asked as she slowed her pace. "I didn't think it would be that crowded."

"Well it's the weekend and all so there's probably going to still be a crowd there." And sure enough, when we got there it was packed. Subaru headed off to the changing rooms while I found us a spot as I already had my trunks on. After I had set up the umbrella and laid down the beach blanket, I threw myself on the blanket and looked up at the umbrella. As I looked around the beach at the other vacationers I began to have a small chill down my spine.

"I wonder what this bad feeling is? Am I just being nervous about my girlfriend's swimsuit? Wait, this sort of thing should be normal right? It happens all the time in anime and manga."

"What happens all the time?"

I quickly sat up and turned around to see Subaru looking at me.

"Oh, a bikini is it?" I accidently said what I was thinking and bit my lip afterwards in shock of my extremely bold comment.

"W-what? Is it bad on me?" Subaru asked as she covered herself slightly.

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised is all…uh where and when did you get it?"

"Your mom gave it to me, she said it would look good."

"Well although it really does, she probably was trying to move some slow merchandise."

"What about you? What's with that coat?"

"It's part of the style, and I can keep things in the pockets."

"Well, let's leave the fashion talk aside for now," Subaru said as she made a gesture as if lifting a box up and moving it to the side. "We came all the way here so let's swim already!"

Are you sure? The salt water might sting a bit," I said as she dragged me up from the towel.

"Don't worry too much about it. I'll deal with it if it comes to that."

The two of us headed toward the water and as I expected the water stung her wound and caused her to thrash about for a while before she managed to calm herself down. We spent around two hours when I stopped to lie down for a bit.

"What are you tired already?" Subaru asked as she sat down next to me.

"Not really…I just feel a little sick right now," I said as I rubbed my stomach.

"Are you okay?"

"I think it's just a little too much sunlight, but I've been feeling weird ever since we got here."

"Are you saying that you didn't want to be here?"

"Of course not, I suggested it didn't I? There's just this chill running down my back and it's making me sick to my stomach."

"Then I'll get you something to drink," she said as she stood up and headed toward the vending machines as I sat up and looked around the beach. The families that were spending their time so care freely…wait a minute…something's strange here…

"Here you go, is green tea okay?" Subaru asked as she held the can in front of my face.

"Hey Subaru…when you went to change where did you go?" I asked quietly as I grabbed the can and set it down beside me.

"Huh? The changing rooms, why?" she asked as she sat down next to me again.

"Was it crowded?"

"Not really…why are you asking these weird questions?"

"Just humor me," I mumbled as I grabbed the can in my hand. "What about at the vending machine?"

"It was empty…"

"I see…"

"What exactly do you see? You're creeping me out…"

I thought to myself for a moment. I was slowly starting to understand why I am feeling so bad right now…I felt the same thing a while back…but never on Earth. "I just need to check one last thing…"

With the can in my hand, I pulled my arm back and threw it over at the couple next to us.

"AH! What are you…huh?"

Subaru was about to hit me but when we saw what happened she stopped. The can passed right through them and they didn't react at all. "As I thought, we're in a tr…AAHP!"

"Kyah?"

I quickly fell backwards and pulled Subaru down with me as something whizzed past our heads and exploded, kicking up sand all around us.

"That was a…missile just now…right?" I asked spitting out the sand that got in my mouth.

"Yeah…I think they're back…" Subaru said as the crowded beach suddenly faded away and multiple figures started appearing around us. "Do we run or fight back?"

"Given the situation," I began as I looked around. There were about ten cyborgs that had surrounded us and for all we know there could be even more lurking about. "Run."

The two of us jumped up and ran towards a gap in their circle and ducked behind the vending machines. The bullets were whizzing past our heads as well as piercing through the steal and aluminum.

"Man this is going to hell real fast…" I shouted over the noise as I covered my head. "Did you bring your device this time?"

"Of course!" Subaru said as she showed me her Mach Caliber. "I always kept it on me since that time I screwed up."

"That's good, but it will still be pretty tough, those guys have an AM Field shielding them like the Gadget Drones back then."

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Uh…from that one time we were attacked…so we need to be extra careful." Crap, I let it slip. I actually learned about the CC's AM Field from the blueprints and also the fact that it can spread out farther the more Cyborgs are in the area. Which brings me to my old question, "Why did I receive the information to build them?" An explosion on top of us brought me back to the situation at hand.

"Jeez Yuu-kun, hurry up!"

Subaru had already donned her Barrier Jacket and punched the sand below her feet, launching herself into the air as well as somewhat change the trajectory of the bullets to avoid the spot where I was still hiding.

Oh right I better help her. But before I could do anything something came flying over at me and landed just a bit away from me. It was a…

"Stun grenade!?!"

I tried to back off but it went off a second later and a sharp pain rings through my ears and stings my eyes. All I could see was a still image of my hand trying to shield my face from the blast as I lost my balance and felt my face against the sand. I tried to rub my eyes to get rid of the pain of the flash as well as the sand as I rolled over on my back.

As my vision returns to me I see to my horror one of the cyborgs rush up to me and point a pistol in my face. Using all my strength I pushed myself away from it as hard as I could but I see the trigger get pulled and a sharp pain in my chest above my heart. I couldn't yell out in pain or anything, I was just in shock. Just then something flew and hit the cyborg in the face and sent it flying off of me…a magic bullet?

I tried looking towards the direction it came from and saw a bunch of people rushing towards us, it was Teana and the others and…Kaa-san?

While the other three rush off to assist Subaru, Kaa-san rushed over to me and tried to talk to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked over me. Unable to actually say anything I tried to raise my head towards my chest and her eyes followed my gaze towards the hole in my coat. Her expression was indescribable as she tore my jacket off to look at my chest. "Wha…there's no wound," she mumbled as she looked at the jacket and then at my chest.

"H-huh?" Upon hearing that I seemed to have regained control of my body and I slowly raised my hand and touched the area where it hurts. There was nothing there, no blood, no hole, just a small cut...

"Are you okay?" she asked me again as she helped me up.

"It just…hurts when I move it," I stuttered as I tried to catch my breath. "I…I don't get it…I know I was shot…"

"Here, look at this." She held the coat in front of me and turned it upside down and some fragments fell out of it…

"That's…Kyo's…" I picked up the fragments from the sand and examined it. Now I've heard stories of things that people just happened to be holding on their bodies to stop bullets but…a harmonica? Well…not that I'm complaining. Even in death you still look after me, don't you?

"YUU-KUN!"

A worried voice rang through the air and Subaru and the others rushed over to me as I was helped up to my feet by my mother.

"Considering I was just shot…I guess so," I replied.

"If he can joke then he's fine," Teana said.

"But…the enemy was using physical weapons," Alex noted. "How come there isn't an entry wound anywhere on your body?"

"I had this where the shot went."

I raised my hand up a bit to show them the shattered harmonica.

"Dang…you must have the devil's luck or something Yuu-san," Kaufman said as he looked at the pieces.

"That…may be true," I mumbled as I looked at my hands. Then something clicked into my head. "Wait a minute, how the hell did you guys know to get here?"

"Hmm…well I guess I guess I'll have to tell you."

I turned to look at my mom who was sighing a bit. Now that I can get a better look at her, I notice she's wearing something that looks like a…

"Kaa-san…is that a Barrier Jacket…and a device?"

"I guess so."

"Uh…why?"

"Your mom has a lot of secrets you know," she answered as she hoisted her device, which was a gun similar to Teana's. "But then, you apparently have plenty of your own. Being abducted by the Bureau during your absence from us and coming home with a lost logia stuck on your hands…what is a mother to do?"

She then gave me to Subaru as she headed over to inspect the damage.

"Huh?" I mumbled tilting my head slightly as I looked at the others. "Huh?"

"Yeah well…she kinda figured everything out it seems," Kaufman said shrugging.

"She said she was an ex-soldier some time ago before she retired and lived on earth," Alex said.

"But that doesn't explain how she knew about _us_," Teana said as she turned towards Subaru, who was laughing nervously.

"Eh heh heh…she kind of threatened it out from me."

"Huh? You KNEW?" I asked her.

"Uh…kinda…"

"You knew and didn't tell me?" I shouted and get a sharp pain in my chest for my trouble. Oh man…my life is just filled with surprises…and as we quickly headed for home before more enemies show up, I suddenly remember what that cyborg told me three weeks ago…something about tragedy, loss, and despair…

* * *

The prelude is over, the fight has begun with this abrupt attack. The flames of war and despair will fill the world with chaos as the bonds between lives are shattered. Next time, on Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Broken Bridges.

* * *

Author's Note:

Obligatory swimsuit chapter XD.

And finally we end the "slice of life arc" and into the "battle arc"next week.

I loved the scene between Subaru and Sakura, I feel that it was one of my best work and if you feel your chest tighten then its my victory! V (BUI)!! Okay...I admit it might be a bit cheesy but...nyeh...

Also I would like to extend a word of apology to my 40 readers for always taking so long in updating this fic. I have no excuse other than the fact that I cant seem to get into writing it during the day and I only get in the mood between the hours of 1-8 AM. That compounded by the fact that I have to compete with all the Yuri pairing fics is a little disheartening, since apparently NanoFate is more popular than original stories after all. Just look at the reviews...A short 2000 word fic can get around a dozen reviews in 1 day where something like mine can barely score an average of 1 review per chapter. Luckily, for all of us, it doesn't affect me too badly but its a little discouraging. But since i LIKE doing this fic I will keep on doing it and posting it up per update so long as I still get 1 reader. Thank you for putting up with this half-ass writer and look forward to the next releases...which i hope i will get at least 2 more done BEFORE April 21 if it KILLS ME because that's when Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 comes out in the States and you can kiss updates goodbye for a while...hahaha...i love that game...


	10. Broken Bridges

Author's Note

HELL YES!! You aren't dreaming folks I managed to get another chapter up!! And this time it DIDN'T take me 4 months XD. There is one scene in this chapter that may be a little graphic, but hey, it's not like we in this generation never seen blood before...damn violent games movies and such...we are so violent...

* * *

**Chapter 10: Broken Bridges**

After that incident with me getting shot and all, I was taken back home so my dad could take a look at where I was shot. Like I thought, there was no open wound but Oyaji thinks it probably tore some of my muscles beneath the skin as it also hurts whenever I breathe.

"Anyway, it's best if you rest for a while," He told me as I laid on the couch with a ointment patch on my chest to help ease the pain. I sighed and put the back of my hand on my forehead. I was completely out of it today. Something was bothering me

"Onii-chan, does it hurt?" Sakura asked as her head popped up near my arm.

"Don't crawl around on the ground," I mumbled turning my head slightly. "Have you seen Kaa-san?"

"She took everyone and went into the garage," she replied as she climbed back in her wheelchair. "Did you have fun at the beach? Before you got hurt of course."

"It was alright," I answered simply. Ah, I really don't want to talk about the beach right now. I want to know why the hell Kaa-san is walking around with a device, and I want to know why everyone else knew but me!

"Boo, how boring. The two of you were on a date right? Wasn't being alone with Subaru Onee-chan fun?"

Well it was fun before we left…but that's a secret. If I told anyone she'd dump me and kill me afterwards, or at the very least make sure I never move again…scary. However Sakura doesn't seem satisfied with me keeping my silence and starts pulling my hair. But before I could tell her to stop, a small explosion came from the garage.

"What the heck?"

I quickly got up, ignoring the pain in my chest and ran over to the garage and opened the door and some smoke began to spill out of the room.

"Hey! Is everyone okay in there?" I asked as I walked in. I could hear a lot of people coughing, so I guess they're sill alive at least.

"Ed! What the hell did you do?" Teana's voice rang out from all the coughing. I guess it was Kaufman's fault?

"N-nothing! I was just looking at it when it exploded!" His rang out his defense but Teana was advancing on him anyway.

"A gun doesn't just explode by itself!"

"Huh? What do you mean a gun?" I asked as the smoked cleared enough for them to see me.

"We collected a few of the weapons from the battle and were examining them here," Kaa-san said behind me.

"Ah, there you are! I have a lot of questions I wan to ask you!" I said as I turned to her. "How long have you been a member of the TSAB?"

"I'll answer your questions some other time," she said as she headed over to another one of the guns. "Edward-san, for about how long were you holding the gun?"

"Hmm? Maybe three minutes?"

"I see…"

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"Yuu, hold on to this for me."

She shoved a pistol onto my hands and my attention was directed towards it. It was folded into a rectangular shape and changed into a recognizable pistol when I squeezed the grip…this was some pretty crazy stuff…wait didn't one of the guns explode when Kaufman was holding onto it? And as soon as I said that the little piece of junk blew up. Luckily I managed to let it go before my hands went along with it.

"Oi! Don't give someone something so dangerous…and what kind of mother gives her son a gun anyway?" But she had already moved on.

"Subaru-san, you try holding it now."

"Umm…I'd rather not," Subaru said as she backed away, which is of course understandable…who the hell wants to hold something that can blow your fingers off any second?

"Just hurry up and take it!" Kaa-san said as she shoved a rifle into her arms. "Don't you there let go of that unless it starts to explode!" Unable to go against her, all Subaru could do was look at it with extreme vigilance, but five minutes had passed and it was still in one piece.

"I see…" Kaa-san said as she nodded to herself. "You can put that down now." And Subaru did so as quickly as she could.

"What was that about?" Teana asked. "Did you figure something out?"

"It would seem that these weapons have some sort of computer system inside it that can identify whether or not the holder is a Combat Cyborg and is set to destroy itself when it is held by something other than a Cyborg for some set amount of time. And since we all were carrying some and we mixed them up when we set them down, we can't tell which ones were carried by Subaru-san."

Weapons with timed detonators activated by touch…wasn't there something like that in the prints? Seriously, what the hell is going on here? I turned to look at Subaru, who was examining one of the guns with renewed interest now that she knows it won't explode if she holds onto. I wonder…

"Hey, try pressing that button on the bottom of the grip," I said as she turned the gun over on its side.

"This?" She asked as she pressed it. A small clicking noise came from the gun and a rectangular bar popped out. "What's this? A brick?"

I moved closer and took the brick from Subaru. "Try pulling the trigger now."

"Eh? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Just point it away from everyone and make sure no one sees you doing it."

"Uh…"

She stood in a position that puts me in between her and the others and slowly pulled the trigger and as I expected…nothing happened.

"What?" Subaru look on her face.

"I think this was the ammunition for the gun," I said as I tossed the brick up and down.

"Eh? How can you tell?" she asked.

"You two are sure talkative? Care to share?" Kaa-san was looking at us with an interested look.

"Care to share your past with me?" I asked looking back at her.

"I told you, I'd tell you later, right now this is more important. We are dealing with an enemy with far greater technology than seen on Earth, perhaps even more than the TSAB even. Their soldiers seem to disappear when incapacitated; their weapons are able to pierce through magical barriers…"

"Okay, okay I got it…no need to lecture me." I quickly told the others about my findings but for some reason I continued to leave out the blueprints.

Kaa-san thought to herself for a bit before sighing. "Teana-san, is there any other Bureau members we can contact for assistance? This seems too big to handle with just the group we have here."

"Ah…I think there is one person we can contact," Subaru answered.

But before we could contact them, Oyaji suddenly ran into the garage. "Hey! You need to come look at this!"

We followed him to the living room where Sakura was watching the TV where some sort of speech was being given. As I sat down on the couch I watched as a man standing in front of the camera wearing a uniform I haven't seen before. "I repeat we are the Cyber Knights, and we declare war on this backwater planet!" He said as the screen switched back to the newscasters.

"That was the message we received just moments ago from the group that claims to have cause a disturbance on the coast earlier today. We have not heard of any response given from the UN bur right now we could assume that…"

My mind trailed off for a moment. "War?" I couldn't believe what was happening. Suddenly my cell phone began to ring and I checked it to see that it was Kasumi who was calling.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked as I answered the call.

"Hey Yuu! Did you see the news just now?" she asked in a loud voice. I could hear a commotion coming from the other line as well.

"Yeah I just saw the last bit of it. Where are you right now? I can barely hear you."

"I'm still at my workplace, Ayumi and Shou are here as well but it looks like I'll be leaving early since the boss is in a state of panic right now."

"Have you called your parents yet?"

"I tried but I couldn't reach them. What are the chances that something like this would happen during their vacation? And Shou-kun's parents are out of town on some business as well."

"I see…well I think it would be best if you, Shou, and Ami come to my place," I said as I looked over to Kaa-san who nodded in agreement. "It's probably the safest place on earth for now." What with 4 TSAB mages, one commissioned mage who happens to hold a lost logia with unknown power, and one ex-mage, who's abilities are still unknown to me, after all.

"Really? I guess it is better to stay together after all. Alright we'll be there as soon as-KCHRTZ!"

"GAH!"

Some feedback and static came from my phone as the line was disconnected. Around the same time, there was a deafening explosion outside. I quickly ran outside to see what the hell was going on and as soon as I opened the door and stepped outside, a cloud of dust blew by across the street. I looked over at the direction where the wind was blowing and saw a large sphere of fire in the distance…this can't be happening…

~ - ~

A few days have passed since then and the entire country was in chaos after that announcement. Our capital building is in ruins and our country lies cut off from the world. The man called "Angra Mainyu" and his Cyber Knights have successfully held our country hostage over the rest of the world.

I had to explain to a completely frozen Shou and the ever-emotionless Ayumi what the TSAB was all about. They along with Nanoha-san, Fate-san, and Kasumi were all staying at my house, the only house in the neighborhood with power thanks to the generator Kaa-san somehow acquired. Nanoha-san and Fate-san were discussing with my mom on what to do.

"Essentially it isn't just this country that the Cyber Knights are threatening with this weapon," Kaa-san said as Oyaji set some drinks out in front of everyone. "It's the entire planet against the TSAB. The result of everything depends on whether or not the TSAB would listen to them over a planet that isn't even part of their territory."

"Then the most likely choice would be…" Nanoha-san began.

"They would choose to abandon this planet…" Fate-san finished.

The atmosphere in the room was dark and stuffy…I want to get out of here…I snuck away from the table and stepped outside. The dust from the wreckage still hasn't quite cleared up and the sun was blocked out from all the ash in the air. I put on my coat and wrapped my scarf around my face to keep the ash from entering my lungs and started walking down the empty road.

The entire town was silent…in a flash it had become a desolate and quiet place. The main streets are all empty, stores were all closed, and garbage littered the area…my usual view has done a complete 180.

There was something wrong with all of this. It didn't make sense to hold an Unregistered Planet hostage against the TSAB, and with the weaponry they have, taking over this planet would have been a snap. Their missile system seems to be able to target anywhere and everywhere from their current position…yet they only attacked one major city…there is something else going on here.

Another thing has been bugging me…if Japan was supposed to be a hostage country…why aren't there any guards patrolling the city? The only military action I've seen belong to Japan as its military tried to reorganize itself. The Cyber Knights just came in and left…was there something that was out of their calculations?

We managed to stop their vanguard troops…and then they launched a tactical strike that destroyed the Capital Building…somewhere between the Initial landing and the bombing…they missed their target because Mom showed up and therefore had to play this farce…what is it…their target?

"Oi! Kuro!"

I turned around to see Teana and Subaru running up the street towards me.

"What are you doing?" Teana asked as they caught up to me. "Nanoha-san said it was dangerous to wander around alone."

"Did they? I wasn't really paying much attention to the meeting," I muttered as I looked up at the ash filled sky. The other two looked around at the city, apparently not quite sure what to say.

"Yuu-kun, let's go back…" Subaru said as she pulled on my arm.

"Yeah…"

As I turned around to head back, a familiar feeling…

"You two get down!"

I jumped on them as multiple rockets landed behind us.

"They're back!" I shouted as I helped them back up and dragged them behind a building for cover. "I think they're about ten of them on the roofs…"

"Damn it! Why do they only show up when you're around?" Teana asked hitting the back of my head.

"Hey! I was perfectly okay until the two of YOU showed up!" I shouted back as I summoned my Barrier Armor and they put on their Barrier Jackets. "Anyways, let's use a standard formation and move on from there depending on how they react!"

"Roger!"

I jumped out of the cover and started firing on the rooftops where the enemy troops were hiding while Teana leaned out from the cover and began charging a Crossfire attack. Subaru meanwhile charged straight towards the enemy under the cover of my barrage. As soon as she reached them, I took off after her under the cover of Teana's Crossfire. But before I could get close to them something appeared in front of me and cut me off from below.

"You!"

It was that orange guy again, but he seems intent on fighting me this time. "You should have…stayed inside," he said as he grabbed me around the collar and slammed me into a wall.

"Y-you're not the boss of me!" I materialized my sword and tried to swing at his arm. he released me and backed off as the other soldiers jumped on me instead. I flipped myself up as they stabbed the area where I was a second ago. Then two orange spheres slammed the sides of their heads and sent them flying.

"Nice shot, Teana!" I called down as I flew above another jumper and kicked them down. I noticed a few more cyborgs taking position from a rooftop and started firing on me.

"Rho Aias!"

"_Protect Territory…_"

A large shield appeared before me to counter the slugs. It wasn't enough to stop them, but it was enough to slow the bullets enough for me to dodge them. Kaa-san was right, they can pierce through barriers with no problem…even one of this level…

I flew above the fire and took a few shots at them as well before turning my attention back towards the orange guy, who was fighting against Subaru. I sped over behind him while he was blocking Subaru's attack with both his hands and tried to slash him from behind.

"Fool…"

I had forgotten of the steel arms under his mantle. The bladed points ripped through his cloak and impaled me in my arms and in my stomach. I coughed up a mouthful of blood as the arms slammed me into the ground.

"Yuu-kun!"

"Kuro!"

"Don't lose your…concentration because of that!"

I saw Subaru get jabbed in the stomach as well as Teana, who ran out from her cover, getting shot from one of the cyborgs on the rooftop. Teana fell over limp and Subaru fell to her knees gasping in pain as blood was also coming out of her mouth. This guy…he was able to break through the Barrier Jacket's natural protection so easily…

He then walked over to Subaru and grabbed her by the collar. "Dispel…" he chanted as her Jacket vanished, leaving her in her regular clothing. "Sorry…but it would be easier…for all of us…if you are unconscious…" With that he grabbed her hair and slammed it into a wall.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Ignoring my injuries I stood up and ran at him like a wild dog, but a shot from above hit me in my knee, causing me to lose my footing and fall on the ground face first. Even so I still tried to get back up. Through the dust, I can see the orange guy's feet as he walked towards me.

He knelt down beside my ear and whispered, "I'm sorry…this act must be done…for the sake of a future…" I looked up at him to see the steel mask. I wasn't going to take his word for anything, I thought as I tried to reach his neck. Instead he slipped something into my hand and said, "The Cyber Knights'…Angra Mainyu's Missile base location…stop it before everything…is done…"

Just then another Combat Cyborg with the same marks on their mask walked up to him to give a report. "Sir, primary objective completed, package is secured! "

He nodded his head and turned toward me and held Subaru's bloodied face in front of mine. "You were foolish to take our weapons…the tracers have pinpointed…your base…take this as a present…" With that he disappeared along with Subaru and the other cyborgs.

"No! Come back here damn you!" I called out as I stood up, but I could barely keep my balance so I was unable to chase after them. I remembered Teana was shot and, ignoring the throbbing pain in my knee, I hobbled over to her. There was no entrance wound where the bullet had hit her and she was still breathing so I assumed her life wasn't in danger as I picked her up carefully with my good leg as a support.

"Something is not right here…" I mumbled as I looked around the broken streets. "He said this was all an act yet he nearly killed us…but he also gave me this…" I looked in my hand to see a small disc. "I don't care why he's doing this…I'm going to go and get Subaru back…"

As I struggled to head back to my house, I remembered the last thing he said. The "present" he said couldn't have been this disc…what did he…

Another loud explosion rang in my ears as a bright light appeared in the direction I was facing. "No…no…they didn't…" I made sure Teana wasn't going to fall off as I took to the sky for a better look. The scene filled me with despair. Another giant ball of fire where my community was…

I noticed some people flying above the flames and headed over there. I saw Kaa-san, Alex, Kaufman (who was holding onto an unconscious Ayumi), Fate-san and Nanoha-san. They all turned their heads towards me as I drew closer but…something was wrong…

I should be glad that I can see them…but instead I felt despair _BECAUSE_ I _ONLY_ see them. What happened to everyone else? Oyaji? Shou? Kasumi? …Sakura?

No…I don't need to be answered…or rather, I don't want an answer…that guy was right…I shouldn't have left the house…if I did…this could have been avoided…all of this could have been…avoided…

* * *

The bonds that tie the boy to his world have been destroyed. His precious lights have been forcefully taken away as one of the remaining ones tries to shine brighter for his sake. Next time, on Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Despair.

* * *

Author's Note:

Dang this chapter felt soooooooooooo much longer than it really is...so much drama, damn it!

Well...did anyone see that coming? Yes? No? Maybe? So?

As the title may point out, we are going to see more of a emo Yuuki next chapter so please deal with it. After that shit will really start to hit the fan.


	11. Despair

Author's Note: I apologize for the late update...i really don't want to keep this trend of 1 update every 2 months...my problem is that my best writing hours happen to be between the hours of 4-7....AM as in, the time i should be sleeping with my subaru body pillow. So basically everytime you see a new chapter it means i probably have just passed out after burning the midnight oil.

this chapter was extra hard due to all the angst in here...well this will be the last of it! Yuuki can't be a loser forever! OH! And can you believe it's already been a freakin YEAR since i started this fic series? Yesterday (As in May 22, 2009) was the anniversary and i missed it T-T

Well enough ranting! Let's get it on!

....................................

fail....just fail....i apologize...

* * *

**Chapter 11: Despair**

It's been three days since that incident now. After that we moved to a bunker that Kaa-san had created, just in case the TSAB found her and decided to try and take her back, being a fugitive after all.

Teana and I got our injuries treated there and my body healed up pretty quickly despite being more injured than Teana…or at least…my physical wounds healed. After that day I haven't left my room at all. I forced the blame on myself and blocked out the others' attempt to try and console me.

There was a small commotion outside my door as Kaa-san slammed the door open with Alex behind her.

"Yuu-kun, have your injuries healed?" Kaa-san asked me.

"Yeah…" I mumbled, not looking up at her.

"Then get off your butt and start helping around. We need to be prepared in case there is another attack."

"There's no problem if I stay here…I won't be of any use anyway."

"Just shut up and stand up!" She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me off the bed. I had my feet on the ground but I wasn't supporting myself. The only thing keeping me from falling was Kaa-san. "Is this how a man acts? Stand up straight!" She released her grip on me and I fell over backwards like a doll.

"A-Aoi-san, aren't you being too hard on him?" Alex asked.

"No I'm not. If you don't snap him out of this now, then it will be disadvantageous to us in the future. Now get up!"

I slowly got to my feet this time but as soon as I did…

CRACK!

She delivered a hard punch to my face sending me flying into the nightstand.

"Don't do it half heartedly! Stand up straight!"

"Why? I'm not going to be of any use…I'm just going to get in the way…you have everyone else to help out," I said as I remained on the ground.

Kaa-san looked like she was going to explode. "You stuck up brat…don't think for a second that you were the only person to lose someone!" She grabbed my collar with both of her hands and pulled me up to my feet again. "Listen to me, if you have time to feel bad and regret, use the time to think about what to do." I looked into her eyes and noticed she was close to crying…something I haven't been able to do at all. She slowly released her grip on my collar and moved her hands onto my shoulders

"It's hard…I understand but you need to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens. It is not just your world; your actions don't affect everything else around you. Right now you need to focus on the matter at hand or else more people will die."

"I-I know…" I replied taking a deep breath. "I just don't know how…"

Before Kaa-san could say anything else Kaufman came into the room.

"Oh here you are…Aoi-san, Captain Takamachi is calling for you," he said as he pointed upward.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

With one long last look at me she exited the room as Kaufman entered and looked at the scattered medicine and equipment on the ground.

"She got you pretty good, huh?" He asked pointing to my slightly swollen cheek.

"Leave me alone…" I mumbled as I put my hand on my cheek and sat back down on the bed.

"Oh, he replied! That's a victory for me!"

I gave a small smile. I guess he was trying to lighten up the mood around here.

"I never got the chance to ask…what were you guys all doing before the missile hit?"

"Oh, everyone was getting worried since you and the girls haven't returned so Ayumi-chan and I went out to look for you when we got attacked by the cyborgs," Kaufman said as he leaned against the doorway.

"That's when the rest of us went out to help him since it would be hard to deal with such an advanced enemy while defending a civilian," Alex added in. "As Kasumi-san had her device with her, we thought it would be best to leave her behind to watch the others."

"Who've thought they'd just shoot a missile at them…why would they anyway?" Kaufman asked as he looked at me as if expecting me to know the answer.

"The guns…there were tracers inside them," I answered as I looked down on the ground and folded my hands together. "They predicted we would try to examine them so they left as many weapons as they could in order to get a fix point on the house…"

"I see…"

"Those guys are more clever than we gave them credit for, huh?"

I didn't answer as I sighed and pressed my hair back a bit. I'm really not sure of what I should do right now. "Sorry Kaufman…Alex…but can you guys get out? I want to think for a bit."

"Sure, don't stay up too late!" Kaufman said as he waved and exited the room. "And stop calling me by my surname, call me Ed!"

"Then, we'll take our leave." Alex said as he bowed slightly and closed the door. As the two of them left, I slumped over my bed and covered my eyes with my arms.

"Damn it…why?" I muttered as I clenched my fists. "Why did this have to happen? Damn it…why did you have to be taken too? Subaru…what the hell am I suppose to do? You were always around to kick me off my ass when I'm feeling like this…I suppose this is what I get for depending on you so much…"

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

(BWEEN!) (BWEEN!) (BWEEN!)

"GAH!"

I woke up to the sound of an alarm blaring through the bunker. There was also smoke everywhere as well…could it have been an attack?

"How the hell did they find us this time…? Wait a minute…huh? It's not there?" I reached into my pocket to pull out the disc but it wasn't there. Did I drop it somewhere?

As I was trying to look for it I forgot that we were under attack until the door exploded and a cyborg came into the room, gun pointing at me of course.

She fired a few shots at me but only one came close and grazed the side of my cheek. I rolled off the bed away from her, flipped the bed over and kicked it towards her to block the shots as I transformed with my gauntlet out. The bed is blown to pieces and I rushed through the debris and threw a swift punch towards her face. She moved her gun up to deflect but I punched right through it, only to then hit a barrier just before I reached her face.

She then gave a kick towards my face but I leaned back to dodge it and jumped back a bit. At least she doesn't have any weapons left…

(Beep!)

"Huh? 'Beep?'"

I noticed a circular disc on my gauntlet…and it was beeping…oh shit!

I put up a shield in front of my body as it exploded, frying my fingers, as well as blow me right out of the bunker. Everything below my wrist and above my elbow was burning like hell. I caught the ground with my left hand to stop myself from spinning and flipped myself back on my feet. I stumbled for a bit but I managed to keep myself firmly on the ground. Taking a look at my arm I can see the pain I was feeling was a lot less than how it was looking.

I tried to move my fingers and they twitched a bit and I managed to flex my hand, which tells me that although it hurts like hell I can still use my arm for a bit…and just in time too as the cyborg has followed me out of the bunker. I need to end this soon…my arm feels like it's going to fall off any second…

I changed my gauntlet to my sword and steadied it with both of my hands and charged straight at her. She whipped out two pistols and started shooting at me. I had no plan, and no tactics on me besides rushing straight in right now. I thrust my sword forward and the cyborg held the pistols in its way and a barrier stopped my attack. I kept pushing forward and the cyborg slid back slightly until a small portion of my sword slipped past the barrier.

"NOW!"

In a split second the sword changed into the lance and pierced right through the barrier, the guns, and straight into her chest. The cyborg let out a loud cry of pain as she tried to pull the lance out. All of my blood was rushing to my head and the only thing I could think of was to keep on pushing down on her. I watched as her hands struggled to get a hold on the lance but fail due to all the blood slipping through her fingers until they stopped moving.

I remained in the same position as I struggled to catch my breath. As I pulled myself back up the cyborg's mask fell off. I looked into her green eyes and recoiled.

"No…no way…it…I didn't…I couldn't have killed…su…"

I gripped the sides of my face and screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

~ - ~

"AH!"

The next thing I knew I was back in my room in the bunker. I buried my face in my hands and wiped off my tears and sweat.

"A-are you kidding me? A dream?" I should be relieved but all that's running through my mind was fear. I recalled what happened a few months back on Mid-Childa when Ginga was made to fight against Subaru, and with this enemy using Combat Cyborgs as their soldiers; the possibility of that happening wasn't zero. I stood up and headed to the washroom to wash my face.

On the way back I notice Ed coming out of one of the rooms. He noticed me as well and walked towards me.

"Yo, the shut-in finally leaves his room?" He asked.

"Shut up," I mumbled as he stopped in front of me.

"You okay? That was one loud ass scream you gave a second ago."

"What?"

"Yeah, don't worry I'm probably the only one who heard as I was walking by your room at that moment. Nightmare?" he asked as he leaned on the wall next to me. He looked at my face and sighed. "Come now, I'm not interested in eavesdropping on a dude while he's sleeping. I was just patrolling the base."

"Oh? And the fact that Ayumi's room being next to mine had nothing to do with the fact you were in this corridor?"

"Geh…I-I mean, of course not!"

Too late, I caught his slip up. But it seems like he did it on purpose.

"Anyway, we're talking about you here. What's up?"

"Sorry, I don't feel like having a heart-to-heart talk with another guy," I retorted leaning next to him.

"Ouch, touché. But seriously, although my personality is bad, I'm a good listener. You have to be one if you want to get any girls after all."

"Heh, although I will neither disagree or agree with you on that last part, I guess it would be better to talk rather than keeping it in. But still, it'll feel very awkward talking to you about it."

He put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. "Then what about, Teana?" he asked.

"What about Teana?" I asked back.

"Why not talk to her? You know her better than you know me, plus it won't be awkward right?"

He's right, but lately, she seemed to be avoiding me. "So her injuries weren't that bad?"

"Nah, she woke up right after treatment, but apparently it hurts when she moves so your mom has her on bed rest until it goes away. I was just bringing her a drink, so she should still be awake," he added pointing to the door he came out of earlier.

"I see…I guess that would be fine…" I mumbled as I walked toward the room. "Guess you aren't a total dead weight after all."

"Hey! Just because you haven't seen me do anything, doesn't mean I can't!" I laughed a bit again as put my hand on the doorknob. He was a lot more interesting than I gave him credit for at first. I should have started talking to him a bit earlier, like I did with Alex.

I knocked on the door and heard some rustling on the other side followed by Teana's voice. "Who is it?"

"It's me, can I come in?"

"Kuro? Ah, sure…"

I opened the door and saw Teana lying down on the bed staring up at the ceiling. "You healthy?" I asked trying to keep any ice from forming.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt anymore," she replied clutching her side. "But Aoi-san said it might reopen if I move too much."

"I see…sorry…"

"No, it's not your fault! It was because I was careless. Anyway, I think you were hurt more than I was."

"I'm okay. This thing wont let me die after all," I mumbled holding my hand up to my face as I walked toward her and sat down on the chair next to her bed.

"That's…good but I wasn't talking about that…"

She hesitated a little but I understood what she was saying.

"I don't know about that one." Due to the nightmare, I had completely forgotten that I had been in a state of depression. The shock of the possibility of losing Subaru had outweighed and shut out everyone else's deaths.

"Really…I'm a damn idiot…" I mumbled as I pressed my eyes in frustration. "I can't seem to do anything right anymore."

"If you keep thinking like that you really will become an idiot…no you really are an idiot right now." She sat up and looked at me as I returned her gaze, which had a mixture of disappointment as well as sympathy in them. "You've foolishly decided to waste your time moping over something that has happened instead of focusing on something that you can do at this moment!"

"Hey! Wait a minute!" I began. I had just lost my family in a missile attack, how could I NOT be upset?

"Let me finish!" she snapped back, and I immediately shut up. "If you have the time to mope around, then use that time to save the person who needs you right now! Subaru needs you…right now…"

Her voice slowly broke as she looked down at her hands. I wasn't quite sure what to say but I managed to croak out a small, "I know…"

After a short silence she asked me another question. "Subaru is still alive right?"

"Most likely…" I wasn't sure, but right now I need to at least pretend. "But the fact that they bothered to carry her off with them instead of…I'm sure she's still alive…I know she is!" I may even be trying to convince myself that right now. But as I was talking, the image of her bloodied face and my dream came back to me. I also couldn't tell who was trying to comfort whom anymore. At the very least, both of us want to get Subaru back as soon as possible.

Teana suddenly gave a small laugh as she scratched the back of her head.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I was just thinking…this is like that time in Section 6," she said wiping her eyes. "I had a similar conversation with Subaru before you came in, except it's kind of the opposite here."

I looked up at the ceiling as I recalled the incident in question. I had been thinking about that since the nightmare. It's strange. I came in here like a child does when he has a nightmare and runs into his parent's room to talk about it and instead I never had to mention it to be comforted. Mentioning it now will only cause problems; I don't need to mention it anymore anyways.

I stood up from my chair and stretched my arms.

"Thanks for getting me back on track," I said to her as I headed toward the door. "Subaru is lucky to have you as a friend. Course I am too." I added with a smile.

"I'm not so sure about that…I may have done something terrible without either of us realizing it."

"Hah?" I couldn't help but just let out a confused and annoyed sigh. "Well it's Subaru, so she'll probably forgive you. I'll see you later. There's something I need to take care of."

"Right…"

I closed the door and turned to see Edward still leaning on the wall. He was talking to Alex and they both turned toward me when I walked toward them.

"Finished with your business?" Edward asked when I stopped in front of him.

"Yeah."

"You seem to be doing a lot better," Alex observed. "Will you be okay in an emergency?"

"Yeah, I can't keep on being a slave to my despair…no matter how much it hurts I need to keep moving forward," I replied as I clenched my fist.

"That's good to hear. Well then, here's to your revival, man." Ed said as he raised his fist up and I did the same and we pounded our fists together.

"Um? What are you doing?" Alex asked.

"What? You never did this before?" Ed asked. "You're a guy aren't you? It's the ultimate sign of male bonding!"

"He's exaggerating," I replied as I raised my fist up to Alex. "It's just a form of greeting, just raise your fist and punch mine."

He raised his fist up slowly and awkwardly punched mine and slowly moved it back. After he did he started staring at his fist for a long time until Ed spoke up.

"Right now do me!"

"No way, I refuse to do it with someone like you," Alex gave an instant reply.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Like you said, it's a form of male bonding, and although I respect and trust your skills as a support, I have absolutely no wish to relate to you on a personal level."

"Ouch, that hurts Al…"

"Don't call me by a nickname!"

I decided to leave the two of them to their squabble as I looked around the bunker for Kaa-san. I had almost forgotten about the little disc burning a hole in my pocket.

~ - ~

Morning had come and I was standing on the edge of the crater where my house used to be with a flower in my hand. It was hard to believe that I used to live here in the middle of all of this. There was no trace of the life I once had; only the emptiness and sorrow of the land remained.

I threw the flower forward and watched it float along the wind until it landed at the very center where there was a large puddle had formed from the damaged drains.

I turned around and headed back to where the others were waiting with a chopper ready. We found the place that the missiles are being stored from the data disc after Ayumi spent the night cracking the code, she's definitely Shou's cousin.

According to the data it is just a missile base so the chances of Subaru being there is slim. But that simply means I can go nuts inside without worrying about her safety. Nothing is going to stop me from getting her back; I'll show no mercy to anyone that gets in my way. I refuse to lose anyone, ever again.

* * *

With a firm resolve nothing will stop him from getting back everything he lost. As the stage changes, will everything else remain the same? Next time on Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Counterattack

* * *

Author's Note: The hard part of this chapter was the dialogue between Yuuki and Aoi as well as Yuuki and Teana. I had this great image in my head for the first one but when it came down to actually writing the damn thing it was tough. Even more so with Teana. I spent 3 days thinking of what to do before i remembered that the anime had a similar coughexactcough situation so i cop....used it as a reference. The result...? Well...you tell me...it's kinda iffy to me...Next chapter will be done quicker damn it! I'm on my summer break so let's hope for the best!

Oh and a pro-slash-amateur tip for those of you who are having trouble with your own fics, or want to write one. If you are stuck on a scene, do what i do. First imagine it as if it would be an anime or manga. Describe the scenes in an outline format while playing a music track, preferably one without vocals. I was listening to a bunch of Nanoha Strikers OSTs while writing the scenes. The sad instrumentals that play during the introductions of episodes that had something bad happen, like episode 18 the one after Section 6 got utterly owned by Jail and his cyborgs. Oh and review plz, i am an attention seeker =3

Now if you will excuse me, I need my body pillow -ω-


	12. Counterattack

Author's Notes:

I'M SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!!!! No excuses can be made for such a foul deed!! I made you wait! I'm on my freaking knees begging for your forgiveness my lovely 40 readers!! And now here it is!!!

* * *

**Chapter 12: Counterattack**

The helicopter ride toward the base was a quiet one. Teana, Alex, Edward, and I were making last minute preparations as we drew close. The four of us would hit the facility from the back while Nanoha-san and Fate-san draw the attention at the front and Kaa-san would join them after hiding the helicopter. What surprised me most was the fact that Ayumi was the one who came up with this battle plan. Well, she is Shou's cousin after all…damn…

I glanced over at Ayumi whose eyes were glued to the half dozen terminals in front of her. She seems to have accepted the fact of magic pretty well that it's kinda scary. Although…I guess I pretty much accepted everything instantly…hell I didn't even mind getting "abducted" by them. So does that make me even scarier?

Another thing that's been bugging me…just where the hell does Kaa-san get all this hardware? This is some pretty heavy stuff…maybe that clothing store was just a cover and her real profession is dealing with black market weapons? I'm too scared to ask. Scared of what'd she do to me as well as the answer I might get.

"What is it?" Ayumi finally noticed my gaze and was looking at me with a blank expression. "Do you me to explain the mission again?"

"Uh…sure," I replied slowly. This girl always seems to leave me speechless.

She brought out the screens that showed the layout of the base and faced them towards me.

"After the four of you enter the base, the corridor will soon split into two paths, from there Tea and Alex will head down the corridor to the control room while you and the other will head the other way to the power core. The two of you can decide who should overload the core and who should disable the power grid to disable any automated defenses. Afterwards, there will only be five minutes to escape."

Sure I admit, Ed is kind of annoying at times but calling him "the other one" is kind of harsh don't you think? Especially when the guy is so open to you…unless of course that's what you find annoying, then it would be appropriate to call him that.

"W-why are you giving me such a pitiful look?" Edward asked looking back at me.

"No reason. Just thinking that you have it tough," I said as I looked back down at my feet as Ed mumbled something about me being an ass. I figured it was almost time to go as the doors opened up.

We hit the water pretty softly thanks to Ed creating a barrier on top of the ocean, keeping us dry as well. We waited for a few minutes as a pink and yellow light flew from the helicopter and towards the island where small explosions can immediately heard.

"Mission Start…"

~ - ~

The four of us made our way to the island without much trouble and looked around at our surroundings.

"A forest huh? Guess it makes great cover to hide a base," I mumbled placing my hand on one of the trees.

"But it's a bit strange," Alex said as he walked up next to me.

"Right, trees wouldn't have stopped our scanners from finding a base in here…" Teana said as we headed into the growth. "Is the enemy using some kind of cloaking?"

"Considering the kinds of firearms they use, it wouldn't surprise me," Ed muttered as he pushed aside some of the growth only to have it bounce back and smack him in the face. "Grr…I hate this island…"

"This doesn't show up on any radar, or any sort of scan…yet it exists. There is also no sign of active camouflage or anything of the sort…" Alex mumbled as the silhouette of a large building appeared in our view. "There's no way we could have missed something like that…"

"Something like that doesn't matter right now," I muttered as we moved a bit closer. "We need to focus on what's in front of us."

"By 'we', you mean 'yourself' don't you?"

I turned around and noticed the others were staring at me with worried looks.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yuuki-san, you understand that this mission is to stop the missile base, correct?" Alex asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah…?"

"Basically, we want your word that you won't go buck wild searching for your captured princess and forget about the mission," Ed, sensing that I didn't get the hidden meaning, clarified for me.

"I won't. The chances of her being there are slim anyway."

"Slim. Not zero. You understand that very well, Yuuki-san. We need you to remain focus on this. I agree that saving Subaru-san is important as well, but this mission is of the highest priority. If we don't stop this base here, there may very well be even more fatalities."

"I know…damn it…I know damn well what will happen…you don't need to tell me. I promise I won't stray off the mission," I mumbled as I turned back around toward the base. Those idiots…it never even occurred to me to look for her in here…now it's going to gnaw at me the entire time. I touched the small sapphire gem around my neck as I thought to myself. I had forgotten about it during all the commotion. I remembered when Subaru gave it to me…heh; I suppose it would be our first fight?

Just then, several small explosions could be heard from the other side of the base; I guess it means the mission has started. There was also a small static in the communicators as Ayumi's voice rang through.

"The distraction has begun, the four of you may begin your operation now."

The four of us quickly ran through the trees and I noticed someone patrolling a door leading into the base. I quickly jumped and landed on top of her and punched in her face to destroy the mask, but it wasn't her. The body then disappeared in a flash of light as the others caught up to me.

"Is that the only guard here?" Teana asked as she looked around.

"Guess the distraction was a lot more effective than we planned," I replied as I stood up and examined the door. "Think you can open this Ed?"

"Slow and quiet, or loud and quick?"

"'Slow and quiet' of course."

"Yeah, yeah, it was just a joke," he said as he waved his hand and started examining the door. He moved toward the door control and removed the outer case. He spent a moment looking over the wires before shrugging his shoulders and tearing them all out.

"What?" he asked as the rest of us just stared at him in disbelief. "I dunno how this thing works, but I felt like I still had to make it seem that I knew what I was doing. 'Sides, the door opened up anyway." He shrugged his shoulders and waltzed inside leaving the rest of us completely dumbfounded. Teana and I gave each other a quick glance and we gave a heavy sigh in unison.

~ - ~

The inside of the base was…well…in a short and very vague way to put it…blue. Blue lights lit the hallways the computer screens were blue…hell even the freaking metal was blue…every goddamn thing here is blue!

"I suddenly have this incredible urge to break everything," I mumbled as we ran through the hallway. "If only to change the scenery a bit."

"We're going to blow this whole base up anyway, don't worry about it!" Teana said as she suddenly stopped.

"What's up?" Ed asked as the rest of us stopped too.

"It's weird…we've been here and yet no body has come out to stop us…"

"Perhaps…" Alex began but he cut himself off, looked down for a second and continues via telepathy. "Perhaps a majority of the guards here are with the double agent that handed us the information, and the ones that aren't went out are part of the main force?"

"But the entire base? Is the other faction that big?"

A bullet ricocheting off a computer screen answers our question. A group of enemy cyborgs came running and gunning at us. A quick barrier meant for blocking live ammo by Edward allows us to take cover behind the archway. It's a tight squeeze so I reach down onto the floor and tear off one of the panels and used it as a shield as I ran up toward the gunners, with Alex running behind me. I stop just in front of them and he hopped on my shoulders and over the steel plate and slashed at their weapons. Which exploded shattering the plate. A red beam and orange bullet blew through the rubble and made contact with some the cyborgs. As I backed away from the busted plate as a blade pierced through the center of it scratching the side of my face.

Drawing my own sword I slashed through the plate as well as the blade then I switched to my knuckle and smashed through what was left into the cyborg's face. It wasn't her either…

As the scene quieted down, we found ourselves alone as the cyborgs vanished after we knocked them out. I took a deep breath as we took a look around to make sure there weren't any others around. It was our first fight as a four-man squad and it was pretty damn good. We didn't communicate verbally but we were able to improvise pretty well…though…

"Did you HAVE to jump over me?"

"Sorry…I didn't think you'd stop so suddenly," Alex said as he rubbed the back of his head. "It was the fastest course of action for me to stop the enemy."

"Well, enough of this chatting, we're at the split off point," Ed said as he pointed to a door leading toward the missile control room. "You two play nice now."

"Shut up and don't screw up!"

"Good luck, Yuuki-san."

~ - ~

After Ed and I walked down the corridor a bit more he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I turned around. His face was shockingly and, I guess, disturbingly serious as well.

"That's what I want to ask you boss-man," he replied as he walked up to me. He stood about half a meter away and I noticed that he was just a bit taller than me so he looked a little menacing. "The others probably didn't notice but I could tell right away, why are you only attacking them by breaking their masks?"

"What's wrong with that? It's just my style."

"Although I may act otherwise, I'm not stupid enough to fall for that." Oh so it was all an act huh?

"What does it matter?"

"Did it have to do with that nightmare of yours? What happened?" A sudden bombardment of questions spewed out of his mouth none of which I felt like answering right now but as I turn around to continue down the corridor.

"Subaru-chan?"

I stopped in my tracks in spite of myself and that was enough for him to read me.

"Bull's eye?"

His switching back and forth between his serious and nonchalant attitude is seriously starting to piss me off.

"What was it about?"

"I…I don't…we don't have time to talk about this!"

"Make time. I don't mind you taking your time beating them senseless, but I at least want to know why. What happened in your dream?"

"I…she…Subaru was working with the enemy…"

"Huh? I don't think that's possible…wasn't she with the TSAB for years? Wait…I remember reading that her sister was reprogrammed during the JS Incident. So I guess that is possible. But just something like that shouldn't bother you so much. You would be able to tell her right away couldn't you?"

"She wasn't using her device. She was using their weapons…and…I killed her…"

"Ahh…" He patted me on the back as he wrapped his arm around my neck. "Don't worry, I'll help out. Just as soon as we finish everything here."

"Yeah…thanks."

"Hey, I think I found a camera…maybe we can see what's going on."

He attached a small cable to the camera as he tried to avoid the subject and opened a small device.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I tried to get him to keep moving.

"I'm trying to see if I can hack into their surveillance…oh it worked…hmm…looks like there is a way to the core without walking all the way down…"

BANG

A bullet whizzes by and destroys his device as a bunch of enemies came charging at us…typical…

"Hmm…guess they found out I was hacking their camera…"

"Yeah…that or they simply saw you on it…"

"Oh…right…"

"Protection Absolute!" A barrier formed around me as I turned to Ed. "Where is this secret path of yours?"

"Right here!" He swung his staff device around and pointed at the ground.

"Wait! Please tell me you're not going to…!"

"Let's do it, Lanze!"

"_Feuren Sie!_"

The entire corridor was filled with a blue flame as the moron shot his attack straight down on the ground. If my barrier hadn't been up, I would have been fried.

"What the hell were you thinking!?!" I asked as I grabbed the moron by his throat.

"Well…ack…I was trying to burn my way through the floors…guess my magic isn't that strong yet…urk…hey…it's…starting…to hurt…"

"Die…for the love of all that is sane in this world…please die…"

"Hey…at least I got rid of the enemy…"

"Let's use the stairs…" I sighed as I released him.

"Right…stairs…that works too…"

~ - ~

"Ed! Hurry up and head down to the power grid! I'll hold them off here!"

"Roger! Don't get killed looking for Subaru-chan!"

Ed ran off down the hall as I held off the cyborgs. I used an archway as cover as the bullets flew past. As long as I can keep them here until Ed gets back, I'm fine.

As I thought that the gunfire suddenly stopped and was followed by a few grunts of pain. I peeked out of my cover and saw a figure with a pistol in her hand with a few more holstered around her waist and on her chest, giving orders to another cyborg before turning to me, with her hands up and empty. I thought it was that Fate-san lookalike from before due to her mask but her voice was different when she spoke…in full sentences…

"You need to hurry," she said with her hands still up, showing that she meant me no harm. "Your allies have been routed on their way to the missile control center by the main force and the admiral has decided to launch all remaining missiles on your country."

"You…who exactly are you?" I asked not lowering my guard for an instant.

"At the very least…our loyalties do not lie…with the man…who calls himself Angra Mainyu. He is nothing but a fool who taints our name. The path to the control center should be free of opposition. But you must hurry."

"What does that…?"

"Use this to stop the missile countdown," she said ignoring me and throwing me a folded piece of paper. "By the way," she added as I looked back up at her masked face. "Don't worry about the girl. She is still alive but not at this base at the moment."

"Subaru? Where is she?" I wanted to shake the information out of her but she quickly drew her guns and jammed them in my face and at my heart.

"Calm down. She is on board the fleet at this time. The coward wants to use her as a shield against you. My agent is doing his best to look after her without blowing his cover but it may not be enough."

"'Agent?' Does that mean you are the ringleader?"

"That is such a crude word. I am part of the regular army. The ones deserters are Angra Mainyu and his troop." She holstered her guns and took a few steps back from me. "Back to the topic, Subaru-san is being kept onboard their flagship 'Dreadnought' where they plan to use her to fight against you."

I was stunned but I quickly recalled that dream I had. "Then that dream…"

"…Was a bit of technology that I invented. It implants data into the brain when in contact for more than five hours. What you saw might indeed come to pass, unless you steer your mind and remove any doubt if or when you meet her."

My mind was racing. I recalled the moment when that orange cyborg handed me the chip in the first place. There was something said then that sounded off. What was it? Come on…think…what was it?!?

A small ringing in my ear cuts my train of thought. I looked away for a moment in distraction and when I turned back she was gone.

"What is it Ayumi?" I asked quickly.

"Well it seems that at least you got the base defenses shut off at least," she said with a small sigh. "The other two were unable to get close to the control room so it looks like either you or that guy will have to get to the control room. They are safe though, relatively. They met up your mom and are fighting near the entrance."

"I see…"

"Hey boss, tell her I say 'Hi.'"

"DOWAH!" Ed's face suddenly popped into my point of view, scaring the crap out of me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Is that a trick question?" he asked with an innocent smile on his face that makes me want to kick him across the head.

"Change of plans Ed, you head on to the core on your own. I have to make a detour somewhere."

"No problem. The core was a bit further down that way and there were no guards in sight. I didn't head down there 'cause I thought u might've need my help and if I set the core off your ass would have disappeared with a bang."

"Hmph, thanks for worrying about me. Don't go and get your ass killed. I'm the one that gets that pleasure."

"Haha, don't worry. I'll be careful."

We gave each other a small wave and split up again.

I could hear the gunfire echoing throughout the corridor as I backtracked toward the control room area. I didn't see anyone like that woman said and soon enough I was at the control room. I peaked inside through the window on the door only to look at the mask of a cyborg…yeah I totally screwed that up…big time. But instead of shooting me, it turned around and shouted something and all of a sudden everyone started shooting each other.

When it quieted down I slowly opened the door and there was no one in there…were some of them part of that group that is helping us? Damn it, I have no time for that!

I quickly ran up to the missile control computer and pulled out the instructions that woman gave to me and began typing the abort codes when the screen beside me suddenly turned on and I saw Ed on it.

"Huh? Boss?" He asked as he poked his face at it.

"Stop wasting time! We need to stop this base once and for all!"

"Yeah, yeah quit your whining, I'm doing the best I can here!"

I returned to my monitor and started typing as fast as I could with one hand while the other was holding open the instructions. Thank god I used to have those stupid one-handed typing challenges with Shou. "You almost done over there?" I screamed into the monitor as I struggled to enter the proper sequence to overload the missile control system. It looks like I will just make it before the missiles are launched again at the city.

"I got it already! Don't rush me damn it!" came his frustrated reply. "And……….done!" I pressed the final key and the screen confirms that the launch sequence has been aborted and the warning screens flashing all over as well as a disc popping out of the monitor in front of me, which I grabbed on impulse. "Oi Ed, we need to get out of here now!?"

"Just about…now!" He said as he looked up from the keyboard as well. "Let's hurry up and get the hell outta dodge! Hmm? WHOA!" There was a loud noise and the monitor blanked out.

"What's wrong? Ed!" I called out but the screen didn't refocus.

"Gah…koff…sorry, something blew up and knocked me back…I'll…uh…I'll meet ya out front with the others!"

"You better!"

I hopped over the monitor and ran out the door I came in and backtracked all the way to the back entrance. When I returned to the helicopter I saw everyone but Ed.

"What? Where's Ed?" I asked them quickly.

"That's our line! Wasn't he with you?" Teana asked.

"We had to split up due to your foul up…don't tell me!" I turned back to the smoking base as I opened a monitor up and tried to contact Ed. "Hey Ed! Where are you? Answer me Sergeant!"

"Hah…hah…what's with the formality all of a sudden…Boss-man?" His reply was weak and the screen showed his face covered with burns with blood dripping down his mouth. "Sorry…I kinda screwed up at the last minute. Damn thing…had a hidden trap turret attached to it. Got me right in the chest...maybe the lung…gack…" He coughed up some blood as he explained himself.

"Don't talk! I'm going to head back and…"

"Don't bother…there's only a few minutes left…you won't make it…I can even see…the reaper in front of me…dude's…got a skull for a face after all…"

"Edward?" Ayumi came out of the helicopter and looked into my monitor and Ed gave a small laugh as more blood gushed out his mouth.

"So you did know my name…haha…you should have gone out…with me while I still…had all the blood in my body…"

"But you were an annoying loud mouth playboy narcissist," came her blunt reply.

"Haha…" Edward gave one more blood soaked laugh. "But…I was one…who was madly in love with you…"And with that last statement, the screen and the scene in front of me flashed a bright white and disappeared.

* * *

Another light disappears...another bond disappears into the darkness. The young man can do nothing but face forward in order to save what little he has left. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Metal Heart, Human Soul

* * *

Author's Notes:

It is well known in the world of storytelling that when a seemingly minor character suddenly gets some more screen time he or she would surely die soon. I'm just further proving that point...or am I?

Next chapter will NOT take months to complete. I swear I will get it up later this week!!

Reread the entire story while you wait. You may figure out what I am planning. Even the smallest bit of dialog can mean something. But don't just randomly guess!


	13. Metal Heart, Human Soul

Author's Notes:

SEE!?! SEE!?! I promised! It's here already! can you believe it?! Don't worry all the quality is still here!

* * *

**Chapter 12: Counterattack**

Everyone was quiet as we set up camp along the beach using some of the wreckage in the base. Everyone but Ayumi and I had fallen asleep from exhaustion. She had noticed the disc in my hand and immediately took it and started analyzing it.

"Hey Ayumi…you can get some sleep. I think I know how to do the rest," I said as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Please don't bother a genius at work," she replied sharply as she shook my hand off, without even turning away from the monitor.

"A genius should be smart enough to know when she is at her limit. I figured out how to do it from watching you. You need to sleep."

"I do not need to sleep right now. You should practice what you preach."

I opened my mouth to argue again but stopped as I figured it was going to be impossible to get her off that thing. I took a few steps back and rested myself below a tree and sighed.

"Is she still at it?" a soft voice behind me asked.

Teana was standing next to me holding two cups of coffee in her hand and a blanket draped over one of her arms. She held a cup and the out to me and I took them with gratitude.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I took a sip. It felt warm and relaxing.

"You're not going to force her to stop?" she asked as she sat down next to me.

"No…I think right now, that disc is her safety zone right now. She's using it to repress anything she might or might not be feeling…after that…" My voiced trailed off as I recalled Ed's face. "Don't worry." I said quickly after seeing Teana's worried face. "I won't let this get to me too much…I still have something I need to do…"

"You…seem quite different since we left the bunker," she said as she stared into her cup.

"Yeah…it was thanks to that idiot…he lent me a hand me out of my ditch," I replied as I drained my cup. "But you were the one who pulled me out."

"Huh?"

"I never want to spend every waking moment of my life being haunted about something that I couldn't prevent again. That's why I'm grateful that you managed to get me back on my feet again."

"Really? I thought you were helping me at that time."

"It was a mutual assistance."

She smiled for a bit before speaking again.

"Hey, do you think everything will be okay?"

"Didn't we have this conversation already?" I asked as I set my cup down on the ground. "I don't have any basis for that statement, especially after what happened today, but I also don't feel like thinking that the future is bleak. I'm just going to do what I can."

"You really do say whatever's on your mind don't you?" She asked with a sigh as she stood up. "But I guess that's one of your good points."

"Oh? What are the others?"

"Huh? Others…uh…um…"

She was trying hard to think…perhaps a little too hard for my liking…

"What…is there nothing else that's good about me?"

"Uh…no! Of course not! I mean I…just can't seem to think of any right now!"

"So…I'm not a good person?" I pretended to lower my head in disappointment to tease her a bit and she had a splendid reaction.

"No! That's not what I meant! Stop putting words in my mouth!"

Her face was bright red and she started hitting me.

"Ow, ow! Stop that!

"Jeez…how does Subaru put up with you?"

"Really? I think I'm the one putting up with her. There was this time before you arrived that when I wanted to take a shower and she walked in on me, and punched me!"

"Hah…" She gave an exasperated sigh as she sat up straight. "The two of you really…"

"So I guess, the one putting up with anyone is basically you, huh?" I asked with a smile. "You have it rough don't you?"

"If you really think so then stop doing things that would make me worry!"

"Haha…I try not to thought. That's just how things tend to end up." I started to laugh for a bit before thinking again.

"What I'm really worried about is what plan to use this time. A helicopter would be shot down as soon as they can see it. Therefore we won't be able to use it so boldly this time. The only reason we were able to get on the island was because the coup d'état troops. I doubt they would be able to distract an entire fleet. So that would mean that you would be unable to join us for a while, huh?"

"Shut up…I'm not happy about that," she snapped back. "I'm tired of talking to you. Don't stay up too late."

"Yeah, night."

I heaved a small sigh and slumped down lower against the tree.

"Damn it…I want all of this to be over already."

I find it ironic how before I met the people in the TSAB, I hated my life and wanted it to change. Now I just want things to go back to normal. I'm a pretty flaky person I guess.

As I felt that I was slipping away from consciousness, I heard a small thump in front of me. I looked up and saw Ayumi lying on her side. I quickly ran over but I noticed that she simply just fell asleep.

"So you ended up crashing anyway huh?" I muttered as I covered her with my blanket. "Let's see how much you got done?"

I took a peek at her work and noticed that she was basically done. The position of the enemy fleet was completely readable. I begin to have a strong urge to just head over there and kick their asses by myself. That would save me a lot of time and trouble and it would also make sure no one else would die…

"Mmm…idiot…"

Ayumi's sleep talk snapped me out of my thoughts. I don't know if she was saying that to Ed or me. I can't be a moron right now…

Haha, I might've done something I'd regret again. I walked back over to my tree and planted myself down at its base again. I stared up at the sky wondering what I should do after everything was over until I fell asleep.

~ - ~

Morning came and for some reason my uneasiness began to increase. No matter what I did to try and calm myself down, the fear remains. I was traveling alone to my mission point. Because I can travel the fastest, my point was positioned on the other side of the enemy fleet from the island. I would be attacking where the main concentration of the fleet, as well as where the flagship may be. And if they were planning what I think they are, then Subaru would be there too…I wonder if Kaa-san had thought of this…she even showed Teana how to pilot the helicopter so she could enter this fight as well.

This fight…can four people destroy an entire fleet? In that regard…I feel…confident…there is no basis for that. I feel like it is something similar to instinct…or a memory. Whatever the case, it is also the reason for my uneasiness…will something irreversible happen here? Or will everything finally end?

"Are you alright, Yuu-kun?" Kaa-san's voice rang out in my head as I tried to sort my thoughts together. "You seem disturbed."

"What is it? A mother's intuition?" I asked as I continued forward.

"Well, I guess it's something like that. Do you think you will be okay?"

"When I'm fighting I'll probably forget all of this. I'll be too preoccupied with other things to worry about something like this."

"Is that so? Then hurry up. It's almost time."

I increased my pace and managed to reach my point within minutes but…

"There is nothing…here…?" Alex asked

"This is the point where the data showed correct?" came Nanoha-san's voice.

"Could Aizawa-san have made a mistake?" Fate-san's voice also rang in my head.

"No, there was nothing wrong," A voice entered my mind in a way different from telepathic communication. It sounds like the woman that gave me the data. "This is one of the technologies we possess, a large camouflage generator, capable of preventing even light and sound from being detected. A technology created by our true leader, stolen for the sake of a single man's worthless pride and ambition."

"Who are you?" Kaa-san asked. "How are you communicating with us?"

"That right now is unimportant. The situation at hand will determine everything; whether or not everything we have done will have mattered. Do not worry about my forces! Use your full power in this fight! No matter what, you must not lose this battle!"

"Of course not! I won't let that bastard take anything else from me!" I shouted in response.

"Then…allow us to provide you four, with one last bit of assistance…"

As the voice disappeared the scenery in front of me began to change. The empty water in front of us was suddenly filled with dozens of ships.

"That's…the flagship! SUBARU!!!" I sped straight down to the ship as the escorts around it started shooting up at me. One of the ships even rose up from the water to block the flagship from my view. "Get out of my way! Sonic Blade Impulse!"

My lance materialized and it cut right through the hull of the ship, splitting it right down the middle. The ship explodes in a ball of flame and its wreckage falls around me. I switch to my gauntlet and attach myself to one of the larger pieces of metal and ride it down towards the flagship. I kick it away as I near it and it smashes into another ship causing it to sink.

I land on the ship with such force that it seemed to sink a bit before reemerging from the water. The ship's smaller canons turned towards me and began firing at me as I ran towards them. I aimed and took a shot with my bow and amazingly it flew straight down in the barrel and it exploded. More turrets rose from the deck as well as soldiers rising from the lifts of the ship and they…brought…some…mechs with them…crap. They all began shooting at me at once, and being on the deck of a galactic travel size ship there was no cover, so all I can do was go below deck. You know, in retrospect…going ape-shit on a flagship of an enemy holding my girlfriend prisoner…wasn't such a good idea…

I made my way though the pipes and vents of the ship as the enemy ran about trying to uh…do something? Not quite sure what they are doing…maybe looking for me? I waited until I couldn't see or hear anyone in the hallway. I opened the vent and hopped down. It was pretty cramped in there.

"Okay…now let's look around for…Subaru?"

There was a blue-haired person in front. She turned to look at me. It really was her…

"Subaru! Did you manage to get away during the chaos? Come on, let's get out of- BWARG!" A huge impact on my stomach sends me flying into the wall. "Wh-what the hell, Subaru?" She was covering her left eye with her hand and was looking at me with a blank expression. "Hey…I know I took a hell of a long time to save you but…you don't need to be that ma-argh!"

Now it's a blow to my lower jaw and it sends me flying through one of the holes on the deck that was probably caused due to the missed rounds hitting the deck or probably from the wreckage but either way I'm flying through the air now…and I think the landing is going to hurt.

CRASH

Yeah…it…hurts…

"Hahaha…this sucks…this really god damn freaking sucks!" I couldn't help but scream in frustration as I staggered to my feet. I spat out some blood that had accumulated in my mouth. I guess this was what my bad feeling was about and what the woman was talking about before. So my situation is…I'm stuck on the flagship of the god damn enemy fleet alone, fighting my girlfriend…great…

I looked up to see Subaru emerging from the hole she knocked me out of. Damn it…I could just try beating her back to normal like she did with her sister, but my equipment is far more lethal than hers…I'm scared…I'm scared that I might screw up…the only thing I can use is my gauntlet, but if the blade extends on accident…I might kill her…

There was a loud screeching noise like a car going from 0-60 in 4 seconds and I realized that it was Subaru charging straight at me. I quickly jumped up to avoid her and she smashed the crushed turret, causing it to explode, while the other turrets changed their targets back at me.

AS I tried to dodge them I backed up into something and I recognized the blue strip as Subaru's Wing Road. I looked up to see her speeding down towards me and I put up a barrier to block.

Stupid move; should have dodged instead.

I was sent crashing down onto the deck and I quickly rolled out of the way as she came crashing down as well. I quickly got back on my feet as I tried to catch my breath. My chest and back were killing me…I think I might have broken a rib or something…

_What's wrong? Why are you hesitating?_

A dark voice was resounding in my head. I remember hearing it before…when I saved the helicopter before I got my Guardian Form…and again when I got both of the Devil Ärms…

As I recalled this, it seems that time was slowing to a stop.

_Your skill level is so much higher than this. _

But if I go at full strength…I'll kill her…

_If you keep this up, the one who will die will be you. All alone on this retched ship away from the only family you have left. _

I…but she has a family too…

_So? That family is huge. After that incident four months ago she gained quite a lot of new sisters. Who cares if she disappears here? No one would blame you. You were just protecting yourself._

Shut up! Just shut up damn it! Who the hell are you?!?

_Well that's a stupid question…I'm you…_

I saw my own face for a split second before Subaru's came into view again. I was too distracted to react and received the attack with all its painful glory. The result was the same as the other punches, except with some spinning added and a loud cracking noise, swiftly followed by a burning sensation in my chest.

It took all the willpower I had just to stay conscious during all of this. It looks like I made a huge dent in the section under the bridge of the ship. I don't know how much longer I can take of this. I can feel the Devil Ärms screaming on my hands. If this keeps up…I really might die…

_Pathetic~ Allow me to show you how it's done…_

My body began to move by itself, despite all the pain I was forced to stand up. Subaru came charging at me and threw another punch at me and my body simply sidestepped her and gave her a kick at her stomach and sent her flying…or so it should have but my arm reached out and grabbed her by the leg and slammed her onto the ground.

She quickly recovered and pulled herself out of my grip and gave me a kick to the head as she used that force to land back on her feet and leapt back from me. However it looked like she took quite some damage. She seemed to be placing a lot of weight on one of her legs…

_Well, let's finish this._

A sword different from the one I usually use formed in my hand. It was shaped like a katana and it has the same designs just like my other weapons.

_For our survival and growth…please…DISAPPEAR!!!_

I launched myself toward her. Once again I had the sensation of time slowing down. I need to regain control of my body! This guy is going to do something I will never…no…I need to stop this…no…STOOOOOOOP!!

The sword disappeared right in front of Subaru. I managed to save her but…

"Divine…BUSTER!"

Her skill hit me right where my heart is and I blacked out for a moment but I came to when I felt the impact of the cold steel against my back. I can't do it…I've come so close and yet I can't do something as simple as this?

"What are you hesitating for?" A different voice is ringing in my head this time. It sounds familiar but I can't tell who it is. "Is your will so weak? Kimura Yuuki?"

"Shut up…who are you?"

"I am the one who has made the preparations for that girl to fight you."

"You bastard!"

"Therefore I am also the one who can tell you how to stop her and bring her back to her senses."

"What? You…the coup d'état?"

"For the sake of time, yes. Now listen carefully, her cyborg control system is a small chip implanted near her left eye…"

So that's why she was covering it earlier when I saw her…was she in pain?

"In short, you would need to apply enough force, it would disable the chip…

"So what? I have to punch her in the face?"

"Towards the area of her right eye but, more or less that is correct."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I quickly avoid another one of Subaru's attacks as I continue to talk to him. My body feels like it's going to fall apart with each step I take though.

"Would you like to hear the risk? Aren't you someone who would do anything regardless?"

"I…how the hell…?"

"Just do it, the longer the battle lasts the harder it will be to stop her. Just hit her with as much strength as you can muster. No hesitation. No mistakes. You have no choice but to trust me."

"No choice, huh? I guess so…Shadow Bind!"

Subaru's shadow rose up from underneath her and wrapped around her arms and legs, holding her in place, but she was quickly pulling herself free. I'll only have one shot at this; I can't afford to screw this up.

"Subaru…I'm sorry. This is going to hurt a bit…"

I haven't used this in a while, so it might take a bit…

"The First Fist!! Jet Magnum!"

"Revolver Canon!"

Subaru had managed to get her right arm free and our fists collided with each other, at the same time, the flames destroyed the binds around her as well. As expected of Subaru, her defense was top notch. I wasn't able to pierce through it the first time but that wasn't going to stop me.

"The Second Fist! Burst Magnum! Sleipnir Wing!"

This combination speeds up my attacks but the force is cut in half, but right now I need to weaken her defense a bit.

Our attacks repeatedly collided with each other; neither of us was giving an inch. Something was different this time. I wonder if it's because I knew how to help her but for some reason…I felt that this was similar to one of our old sparring matches. At that time the two of us were doing it in order to deal with all the awkwardness between us, now we're doing it in order for things to get back to normal.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought as the two of us clashed again, and this time we are locked in a stalemate with the both of us trying to force through the other's protection barrier. This is the only chance I'm going to get…

The longer the battle takes the worst I'm going to be feeling. I have only one chance…but almost no magic power left…if I screw up, one of us is going to die…

"The Final Fist! Roaring! Buster! MAGNUM!!"

The final form of the attack releases the defensive barrier in a form of an offensive magical burst of energy that completely nullifies all magical barriers for a few seconds depending on how many defenses I had at the moment…

"Clench those teeth, Subaru!"

Ignoring the searing pain in my side I swung down with my right hand with all my might. There was a loud cracking sound followed by a small explosion and my vision was filled with white. At first I thought I had passed out again but I was still standing where I was before and Subaru was lying at my feet.

"Suba..rugh…" I held my side in pain as blood rose up to my mouth.

Damn it this is no time to be dying! I need to make sure she's okay! I spat the blood out and wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

"Oi, Subaru…get a hold of yourself…oi!" I knelt down beside Subaru and raised her head of the ground. I noticed something small poking out of her forehead just above her eyebrow. I carefully pulled it out and threw it aside. "Subaru…please…wake up…"

Did I screw up? I made it this far…and I…screwed up?

"Heh…heh heh…don't screw with me! Wake up…wake up…wake up, damn it!"

I lost my sense of reason and head butted her head.

"Ow…"

Huh? She let out a small moan and slowly opened her eyes…or rather…one of them. Her left eye was a little swollen so she could only open it halfway.

"Yuu-kun?" she asked looking confused. I'm not sure whether it was she was wondering where she was or it was because I'm holding her with tears in my eyes but…

"Yo, sleeping beauty. Guess you're not fully awake yet?" I asked with a smile. Her eyes were beautiful emerald green again.

"You're late…" she mumbled as she tried to sit up by herself. "You look terrible."

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep."

"That doesn't give you…the excuse to be two weeks late…"

"Yeah…but that doesn't give you the right to beat…uh…hold it against me…"

I'll keep the whole, Subaru kicking my ass thing to myself if possible…

"Can you stand?" I asked her.

"Probably better than you," she joked as she stood up clutching her swelling eye.

"Shut up…but…you can help me up if you want…" As soon as she helped me up, we heard movement behind us. There were soldiers coming out to greet us…with guns.

"So…you managed to free her…" It was that orange bastard again. He was standing in the middle of the solders pointing a pistol at us. "You really are…someone special…aren't you…Kimura Yuuki?"

"You're…" Subaru began but he cut her off.

"Begin…"

"SUBARU!!"

My voice was drowned out with a series of gunfire.

* * *

Hope has returned to him. His strength has returned and his future has cleared. Now there is only one thing left to do. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: StarS Reborn

* * *

Author's Notes:

Leave a review if you think I did a good job.

Anyway, school has started again so it'll be tough, but i hope to get another chapter up in 1 week, 2 tops. Rock bottom was hit last chapter, then it should only go up from here...right? ;P

The last little bit where Yuuki is talking with Subaru is best read with "Kimi ni Aitakunatta Nara" playing. It is the 23 track in StrikerS 3rd OST. Just copy and paste the song title on to the Youtube. It just...well...it just makes your heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside...yes yes, it may be a disgusting feeling to you...but hey, they're having a moment here! I just love this song...=D


	14. Stars Reborn

Author's Notes:

With the addition of this new chapter, Rating has been bumped up to M for "Blood and Gore" and "Strong Language." Well, more strong language than usual...

Little disappointed no reviews of the previous chapter...i thought i did pretty good...guess it was too cliche huh? Well this one may be better....

* * *

**Chapter 14: Stars Reborn**

Blood…there was blood flooding the area in front of me…was it mine? Due to all my wounds, I probably couldn't tell if there was a new one or not, but from the scene in front of me the blood wasn't mine…

"Su-Subaru?" I asked softly.

"Y-yes?" Her reply was equally soft.

"Are you okay?"

"I…I think so…but…what's going on?"

"I wanted to ask that…myself…"

During that short instant before, I had dived on top of Subaru to shield her from the gunfire but…they didn't shoot at us, but at each other instead…the bodies of the shot cyborgs disappeared before they hit the ground, but their blood remained.

The orange robed cyborg simply turned to look at the mess before walking toward us and extending a hand out to me.

"Thanks for…your hard work," he mumbled. "Is that how…you say it?"

"Uh…I guess?" I answered slowly before taking his hand. When I stood up, one of the soldiers walked up to me and tried to support me by lending me her shoulder but I politely refused.

"You are the one who was talking to me when I was tied up…" Subaru asked the man as he nodded.

"Correct…I am Cyborg G1-1057. I am the…second in command of the troops…on this vessel," he replied in his usual monotone and broken voice.

""And G1-1057 is too hard to remember! Why don't we just call you 'Ghost'?" I asked as I struggled to stay on my feet. I seemed to topple over a bit since Subaru put her arm in front of me and helped me stay up. "Sorry about this…"

"No, it's okay," she replied quickly.

"Ghost? Ghost…"

Completely contradicting and destroying the image I had of this guy, he seems to be genuinely interested in accepting that as a nickname.

"Um…why are you calling him, 'Ghost'?" Subaru whispered to me.

"It's because this guy pops in and out like a ghost and his serial number can spell out the word 'Ghost' in English," I explained. It was a pretty simple and almost childish reason, but that's what I came up with. Subaru looked like she wanted to say something but was cut off by Ghost.

"In any case…we need to hurry…the operation has already begun…my forces are converging…with your comrades. We need to hurry…" he said as he turned around and headed into the ship. The soldiers fell in line behind him and Subaru and I have no choice but to follow.

~ - ~

The inside of the ship was…as expected…blue. There were a lot of soldiers running about but they were all part of the coup. It seems they identified themselves with the colors and symbols on their mask. Not that I could really tell in an instant like they can.

"You there," Ghost called out to one of the soldiers searching. "Where is alpha target?"

"Sir! We have reports he headed to the lower levels of the ship," the soldier replied.

"What? Wasn't he…in the bridge?"

"A few minutes after you left, he left as well. When you gave the order, two squads attempted to subdue him but we lost contact. The last transmissions suggests that he has a few 'M2' or 'M3' classes with him."

"That slime…what is he doing…?"

"What's at the bottom?" I asked.

"I am not sure…myself…it was some sort of…project…apparently he didn't…trust me enough to show me…" he said with a scoff. "Not that he was wrong…I suppose."

"What exactly are 'M2' and 'M3' classes?" Subaru asked.

"They are cyborg variants…the usage of 'M' classes have been…prohibited by our leader…after the war…" Ghost explained as we got to an elevator.

"Why? Were they dangerous or something?"

"It wasn't so much that…although they were…no…ARE dangerous…it was more due to…"

He was cut off by a message on his transceiver.

"Lieu-Lieutenant Commander…" came a weak voice.

"What's wrong?"

"It's…coming up…run!" His voice was cut off by a nasty sound…like something being crushed…

"What happened? Respond! Eii! All units…high alert! Be on the lookout for…M2 and or M3 classes!"

The soldiers around us began prepping their weapons as the elevator reached our level. Suddenly, a blade pierced through the door right through one of the cyborgs head and Subaru let out a small cry as it continued to stretch forward and stopped inches from Ghost's mask…or rather its because he stopped it with one of the claws under his cloak.

Immediately, the other soldiers began to shoot at the hole in the elevator door but the blade had already retracted. Everyone stepped back as the doors opened.

At first I thought it was another masked cyborg, but it wasn't wearing a mask…it had a pale gray face and dark yellow eyes and its mouth was wide open with pieces of flesh attached to the top and bottom lips. It was less of a human and more of a beast than the cyborgs around me. The blade that had pierced through the elevator door was actually one of its arms…or legs…

"W-what is that thing?" Subaru asked as she back away even further, carrying me with her.

"A M2 class," one of the soldiers responded as they all opened fire on it.

It roared in pain as it jumped out of the elevator and landed on one of the soldiers, who let out a cry of pain, and jumped at Subaru and me.

"Kyaa!"

I shoved Subaru aside and materialized my sword and blocked its attack while it was still in the air. It bounced off my sword and attached itself to the ceiling as they continued to shoot it. It pulled out its legs and slashed at two of the soldiers right through their heads…

It then started swinging its limbs wildly at me. It suddenly stopped and its head retraced into its body and reappeared between its legs. "Holy shit…just what the hell is this thing!?" I screamed as I leapt away in horror.

As I did, it was impaled from its underside by Ghost's claws, and by instinct I slashed it's squirming head off. Even without its head it continues to move. The remaining soldiers closed in and kept shooting it until it finally fell limp.

"That…was a M2…a 'Slicer' to be…more precise," Ghost said. "Report!"

"01 is wounded and 07 is dead sir," one of the remaining soldiers said. "So are 03 and 05."

"Field-patch 01 and let's keep moving."

"Hold on a minute! You're telling me that…that thing…was a cyborg?"

"Like I said…a variant…we have to keep moving…" Ghost was in a real hurry to get Angra Mainyu…not that I'm against that of course…but I want some answers here…I guess they'll have to wait.

"Hey Subaru, are you okay?" I asked as I put my arm around her to help her up. She was shaken up pretty badly. Considering that she just saw three people get brutalized and that abomination of nature, I guess I'm the weird one for not being shaken.

"Wait…I thought you cyborgs warped away, when u get knocked out and stuff…how come those guys didn't?" I recalled quickly.

"We shut off the bio-vats when the Ms were sighted," one of the soldiers answered me. "You don't want them coming back do you?"

"Fair enough…" I mumbled as I shrugged my shoulders. "Come on, let's move Subaru."

I managed to get her up on her feet when Ghost's transceiver started sounding again.

"Lt. Commander! We are on route to the Dreadnought with the other mages that didn't come with the others. The other squads have finished clearing out the other ships and are converging toward the Dreadnought as well."

"Good…now all we need to do…is find the admiral and…it will all be over…"

"Huh? What's that…? Sir! There is something coming up from below the deck! I can't quite make out what it is from up here, but it's huge!"

"Damn. All forces…head to the deck!"

"Oi, Subaru get a grip!" I started shaking her and was about to smack her face when she finally came to.

"Ah…sorry," she said as she stood up properly. "I'm okay now…"

"Good, we need to catch up to the others…I don't want to be alone if another one of those things show up…" I said pointing to the corpse.

"Y-yeah…"

~ - ~

When we headed back out on the deck, we were greeted with multiple and loud-as-hell explosions. The entire deck was covered in flames and smoke as a huge monolith stands in the middle of it all. There were also a few people standing around it shooting at the coup d'état forces. I notice Ghost using a downed chopper as cover alongside a few other soldiers and the two of us ran over to them.

"Let me guess! Those things are M3s!?" I half asked half shouted at him over the gunfire.

"Correct…" He said simply as he fired a few shots from his pistol at them. "Titans. Their armor and shields are durable enough to…withstand a constant barrage…as you can see here. Their armor also…injects doses of morphine…when pierced in order…to let them continue fighting…despite injury…although I have no idea…what the big one is…"

I guess he supposedly sounds tense, but since he always talks in a monotone it's kind of hard to tell.

"Hang on, what happened to our helicopter?"

"It was forced…to land on the…other side of that…behemoth," Ghost replied.

"Teana and Ayumi! Are they okay?"

"I am…unsure…the ones escorting them…were shot down…"

"Eh? Tea is over there?" Subaru asked as the two of us peeked around the cover.

There was no activity coming from behind the giant mecha…so they are either hiding, or unconscious…or too wounded to move…I hope that the last one wasn't the case.

"Yuu-kun!" Subaru said as she grabbed a hold of me. "We have to go help them!"

"Y-yeah!" I said as I stood up slightly.

"Do you think…you can make it past them?" Ghost asked. He was probably talking about the M3's guarding the mecha…and probably the mecha itself, which has just finished riding the elevator to the top and was completely towering on the deck.

"Bwhahahaha!" A ridiculous laugh echoes across the battle zone and the gunfire stopped. "Behold my power!"

Multiple panels opened up from the thing and small turrets and cannons popped out and started shooting at everything…even the M3s…

"This machine! This Monolith! This is all the power I need to get rid of you!"

The Monolith easily stood at least thirty meters tall, and had a ton of armor on it. It had four large artillery type cannons on its back and its arms had small turrets on its side with the front of it being three more small cannons. There was also a missile pod below its chest and on both sides of its torso.

He turned the head of that thing towards me and I instinctively ran away from my cover. As I predicted as soon as it saw me, it began unloading its payload on me. Those giant gattling guns it was holding on both hands were insane. They were ripping through the weaker outer edges of my barrier and the spots where they hit were cracking under the strain…until finally…it broke.

A round it me right in my left shoulder and I was sent flying and spinning off my feet. My arm was burning in pain but thankfully it was still attached to my body…just dangling pretty far down from it…

Angra Mainyu let out another laugh. "It's over! DIE!!"

I was staring down the barrels of its freaking cannons as they bore down on me. I couldn't move and I couldn't defend myself…haha…what happened next…I don't think anyone would have been to see it coming…

Something small, white, and very fast flew at the cannon, straight down one of the barrel and (probably) hit the generator inside it, causing the thing to explode. And in that instant, Subaru came over, picked me up and moved toward the helicopter Teana and Ayumi were in.

The two of them were out cold but they didn't seem like they were hurt too badly…especially compared to the half-dead, bloody corpse that is I. I guess the cyborgs pulled them out and moved to a different location so they wouldn't be fired upon.

"AGH!" I groaned in pain as Subaru set me down as softly as she could. "Crap…this hurts…"

"I…I don't think the bullet is still in there…" Subaru mumbled softly as she checked my shoulder. "I think it just broke the skin…"

"Gah…great…so all it did was tear through my barrier and my armor as well as my skin…that's great news! Oh, how about adding the fact that I think it popped my shoulder out as well?"

I was hysterical at the moment. Within a short period of time I had my chest continuously pounded on, my back broken against cold hard steel, my side crushed, SHOT at by gun turrets, and now my shoulder is out…some body out there must really hate me…besides the man in the walking death machine.

Hell, I'm not even sure how I'm still conscious. Any normal person would probably be in a bloody coma or even gone crazy… hell even dead…yet I was still here…I was still sane…I was still awake…why?

"Urgh…would you keep your voice down?"

Teana seemed to have finally come to as she rubbed her head.

"Sorry to wake you up…princess…"

"You look like you could use some sleep yourself…"

"TEA!!" Our sort of routine event of hurling sarcastic remarks at each other was interrupted by Subaru who dived at Teana and hugged her. "You're okay!"

"You idiot…that's what everyone wants to say to you…especially since-"

"Agh! My shoulder hurts!!"

I quickly let out a fake cry of pain in order to shut her up. She was probably going to tell Subaru about Ed and the others…I don't want Subaru to know about that…yet…

She seemed to understand what I was doing as she looked away from Subaru for a bit before turning to me.

"Think we can pop your shoulder back in?" she asked as she gripped my shoulder tightly.

"G-go for it…" I'm breaking out in a cold sweat, but I'm not sure if its because I'm seriously dying or that I'm unsure whether or not it was a good idea to let her do something like this. "W-wait…I'm having second th-"

CRACK

"NnnnGGAYAYAYANNNOOWWWWWWWWwwww!"

"Oh shut up you big baby…"

"That was an amazing scream though…"

"Sh-shut up…"

"Where are you!?! Where did you run to?!?"

Oh crap…I forgot about that guy…

The Monolith was looking around, completely ignoring the damage it took as well as the fire from Ghost's troops.

"AHHHHHH! Anyone who is still alive! FIND HIM AND KILL HIM!"

One of the M3s that I thought had been killed by him stood up and leapt over the downed helicopter. None of us were ready for it. I was ready to throw myself like an idiot in front of it just to slow it down, because I sure as hell couldn't defend myself right now.

But a calm, cool, and familiar voice saved us.

"Now! Algor Vesica!"

It was an instant but the cyborg froze into a block of ice and was then pierce, and shattered, by a claw.

Both Alex and Ghost had come to our rescue.

"Everyone? Are you alright?" Alex asked as he landed beside me.

"I can't…have you dying on me…Kimura Yuuki," Ghost said as he landed behind Alex.

"Damn you…it was HER wasn't it? That woman is getting in my way again?" Angra Mainyu said as the Monolith faced all of us. "No matter! As soon as I kill all of you here, I'll kill her just like that boy's family!"

"Eh…?" Subaru's voice was quiet, but I could hear it very clearly and apparently so could Teana and Alex as they both turned away from her. "What is he talking about? Yuu-kun…Tea…Alex…?"

Subaru was slowing going into a state of shock.

"Then…Sakura-chan is…"

"Subaru Nakajima…focus on what's at hand," Ghost said as he placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "Answers…will come later…"

He then stepped toward the front and looked up at the Monolith like it was just a statue.

"Alexander Dalton…" Ghost spoke without looking at him

"Yeah?" Alex replied with caution in his voice. It looks like he doesn't quite trust Ghost, even though he helped save the rest of us.

"Can you see them? The exposed areas?"

Alex looked up at the Monolith as well and after a slight pause nodded.

"Where can you see them?"

"In the joints of the left arm…below the front missile pod…on the right leg…and right below the head…"

"Good…do you believe…you can reach them?"

"Probably…"

"I'll match your movement…whenever you're ready…" As he said that, Ghost pulled out a combat knife from under his cloak and at that moment, the two of them sped toward the Monolith.

"Like I'll let you!" All the guns started shooting at them, but none of them could hit them. I never thought Alex could move that fast…

When they got to its legs, the two of them jumped up and kicked off each other's feet and bounced over the gunfire onto the main body where they begin to cut it up.

"Subaru! Kuro! Let's go too!" Teana said as she started charging up her magic. "Let's use THAT formation!"

"Y-yeah!"

"Just don't get in their way!"

Subaru and I charged right in and because most of the turrets had been destroyed we had little to no problem reaching the Monolith.

Subaru's wing road began to wrap around the Monolith blocking Teana from its view and allowing Alex and Ghost to get out of the way of our attacks. The two of them had done quite a number on the thing. There was scrap all over the place and its remaining artillery cannons had been sliced off.

"Start now!!" Teana called me out to begin the attack.

"Ein!" I formed my sword and began slashing at the damaged parts of the Monolith that Alex and Ghost had so graciously left for me. The results caused it to lose one of its arms. "Teana!"

"DAMN YOU!!" Angra Mainyu cried out as the smaller turrets aimed at me as I was trying to land.

"Zwei!" Teana who had been charging her Crossfire attack, released all of the shots at the mecha and she skillfully controlled them into the barrels of the turrets, ignited the shells inside causing them to all blow up. "Subaru!"

"Drei!" Subaru said as she started pummeling the Monolith from her Wing Road by riding by it and delivering powerful punches all over it. She then made a wide turn away from the Monolith and sped right toward it. "Vier!"

At the last moment, she jumped off the Wing Road and it pierced right through the torso and she road across its body and met up with the Wing Road as it came out from the other side. "Tea!"

"Fünf!" Teana shot multiple magic bullets at one if its damaged legs and the resulting explosions tore it off. "Kuro!"

"Sechs!" It was my turn again and I had managed to get under its other leg as it was falling down. "Blade Impulse! Rising Arc!" I leapt straight up swinging my spear in a large arc as I did, slashing off its remaining arm and leg. I then turned around in midair and aimed my bow down at him. At the same time Teana and Subaru were also charging their spells.

"Climatic…BLAAAAAAAAASTER!!!"

"Divine… BUUUUUUUUSTER!!!"

"Phantom… BLAAAAAAAZER!!!"

"YOU BASTARDS!!" Angra Mainyu let out a huge roar as the spells collided at him simultaneously. The black, blue and orange beams caused one hell of an explosion.

"RAMAPGING STAR CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!" It was our ultimate formation that the three of us came up with during our days at Section 6 that we never got to use until now. Using all of our abilities and spells to neutralize the target without fail.

As the smoke started to clear I could see a shadow escaping from the scrapped mech. I felt my blood boiling as I flew toward him, grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall. I waited until the smoke cleared before doing anything else. When it finally did, the only emotion I felt was pure rage.

The man in my hand was sort and portly and was gasping for air like a pig. I couldn't quite understand the emotion I was feeling. Was it disappointment? With a name like his, with everything he had done, with all the monsters he threw at us, with all the deaths he caused…what was I expecting? A monster? The devil himself?

Instead, all I see in front of me is a man that looks like he's going to soil himself at the mere sight of a weapon.

"You…you piece of shit!"

I gave him a sharp kick in his gut while still holding him against the wall. Even if he was something less than an ordinary man I was going to get my revenge. I wanted to hurt him to the point that he would either beg for mercy or try to commit suicide, and then prevent him from doing so.

Ignoring his pleas and screams of pain, I deliver hit after hit on every part of his body I could reach. I had never felt this way before. This sadistic feeling of causing him pain was increasing my adrenaline and I just wanted to continue to hurt him. I understand it now. This was the reason that I'm still fighting despite all my injuries. The sole thing that was keeping me upright was the willpower and desire to kill this man.

With each punch I give him I get an image of everyone who died. First it was Shou, then Kasumi, then Ed, then Oyaji, and last was Sakura.

With each image my attacks and rage grew fiercer, and when Sakura's face appeared I drew out my sword and released his throat and let him slide to my feet. I then grabbed my sword with both hands. As I did, that voice appeared again.

_Do it…a pig like this doesn't deserve to live…_

"Kuro!"

I looked over my shoulder to see the others come into view. My former captains and Kaa-san were also there.

"What do you think you're doing?" Fate-san asked quickly.

"Exactly what it looks like…I'm going to kill him…" My voice felt different. It was if someone else was speaking alongside me…and as if to prove my word I stepped on and crushed one of his fingers under my foot.

"Stop! We need to take him in alive!" Nanoha-san said as she tried to run up and stop me but Kaa-san stopped her.

"No…let him continue," she said coldly.

"But…"

"What if he still has supporters? What if they break him out of prison? What if even more people die because you followed all the rules?" Nanoha-san couldn't say anything back as she took a few steps back from her.

I turned back to my quarry as he tried to crawl away.

_Come on…stab his hand…go ahead…_

Following the voice I drove my blade into his other hand and forcefully pulled it out, flinging the blood everywhere. I heard a few gasp of disgust from Subaru and Teana but I didn't care. The only thing in my mind was inflicting as much pain as I could on the man in front of me before ultimately killing him.

After a few more minutes of playful torture, Subaru seems to have had enough.

"Yuu-kun stop it already!" She cried as she grabbed my hand and pulled me away from him. "Just stop it already!"

_She's right…finish this up already…it's getting boring._

"Stop it Kuro!" Teana said as she also walked up toward me. "Don't end up a murderer!"

"Yuu-kun! Enough is enough!"

"Shut up!" I shouted as I threw them off of me. "I'm going to make him pay for everything! I'm going to get my revenge!"

I walked back up to him and put my foot under his stomach and flipped him on his back and stepped on his stomach.

_Yeah that's it! Do it! Right between the eyes!_

I flipped my blade around and lifted it back and brought it down with all my might…but at the last second I heard a small voice in my head.

_I don't want this!_

The voice of a crying child reached my ears and I moved my sword just before it hit his head and it hit nothing but the ground instead.

I released my blade and took a few steps back as I looked at my hands. My gloves had blood all over them and now that I noticed, there was blood on my clothes as well…although I'm sure most of it is mine. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Ghost sighing a bit before ordering some soldiers to secure Angra Mainyu.

"Looks like he couldn't do it after all," Kaa-san said with a sigh of relief.

"I…I…" I wasn't sure what to say. My mind was becoming fuzzy as my body was releasing all the tension and adrenaline that it had built up. At that moment my legs gave away and my body fell limp. Luckily Teana and Subaru were close enough to catch me. "I…couldn't do it…I couldn't kill him…I…what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

The real reason that I kept on fighting had slipped through my fingers because I wasn't dedicated enough to follow through with it. At that moment, I felt that everything was worthless.

Before I realized it I was crying as Subaru embraced me tightly.

"It's okay…everything will be okay," she whispered as she patted my head.

"Excuse us," one of two cyborgs said as they placed a stretcher beside me and with Subaru's help they loaded me on it.

"Our ride is here…" Ghost said pointing to a small vessel that had just emerged from the water. "We'll be taking this…to our ship. We'll be able to…treat any wounds…as well…"

As I was separated others as, according to them, I was to be given top priority due to my heavy injuries, which I seem to notice a lot more now that I'm doing nothing but laying around. "Adrenaline does wonders for the body" were my last thoughts before I ended up passing out.

~ - ~

When I came to I was staring at some lights attached to a ceiling…and the first thing that comes to my mind is, "Amazing, they aren't blue…"

Seriously, I'm sick of the color blue.

I wonder if we made it to the main ship of the coup yet. The equipment around here sure looks pretty high tech and plentiful, so I'm pretty sure this is their flagship.

"Haha…that's right…we won…" I mumbled as I covered my eyes with my arm. "But why do I feel like crap?"

"It may be because of all the medicine in your body." The voice's owner came through the door holding a clipboard. She sat down at the desk in the room and started flipping through some papers on top of it. "Amazing…you were the most injured yet you were the first one to wake up. Is this the power of the Devil Ärms?"

She seemed to know what she was talking about as she nodded her head.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Asakura, and this is my ship; the Stargazer."

* * *

The missing lights begin to return to his path towards the future. There is still hope for him to reach the tomorrow he strives for as well as the answers he seeks. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: The Metal Mask

* * *

Author's Notes:

You know, when i was writing this chapter, I was having boatloads of fun. It was probably because i'm finally nearing the end of this arc, which was the part I've been dying to write for the last few months. Also writing a hidden deranged and sadistic side of Yuuki is kinda fun as well. But as I was writing, I was becoming increasingly annoyed with how Subaru refers to Yuuki (Yuu-kun) due to the fact that they have so similar pronunciation. I decided that i'm either going to have her drop the "-kun" or just call him Yuuki in the future. Anybody have a particular preference? I'm fine with either. Let me know via PM or review...maybe i should start "charging" for this fic by review count...nah that's not cool. Basically i like...no I LOVE reading your reviews, it motivates me to keep on writing and it lets me know that people are actually reading this, not just clicking on the link and then leaving it. So really please...just click on the review number at the top of this page and leave me a review telling me how you think I am doing.


	15. The Metal Mask

Author's Notes:

This chapter is LONG so please bear with me as this will be an information chapter so a lot of things will be answered...

Have fun~

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Metal Mask**

"You were the one at the missile base," I noticed as she turned to me.

"I'm glad you remember me." Asakura said as she returned to her papers.

Well it would've been hard not to…she moved fast enough to kill me. Twice…

She moved towards me and looked me over.

"Sit up for a second and face me," she said as she made a beckoned me with her finger. When I did she grabbed hold of my left arm, the one what was forced out by a bullet fired from the Monolith and gave it a small crack. "Such a crudely done treatment could have harmful lasting effects…please refrain from doing such things in the future."

"Y-yeah…"

She did it so suddenly and elegantly that I didn't know how react. My arm certainly feels better though.

"How do you feel? Try standing for me."

She backed away as I got off the bed and did a few stretches. Nothing seems to be hurting…the regeneration capabilities are pretty damn impressive…it's kind of scary. I almost want to find the very limit of this thing…what happens if I lose a limb…

"It may be useful, but don't rely on magic for every little thing," Asakura said as she jotted some notes down on her clipboard. "Science can be more reliable than some far-fetched phenomenon. After all, science can just as easily nullify magic once the basic structures are understood. That is why our Soldat and Kämpfer units are were so effective in subduing you during the early stages of the plan…"

She was going on a rant that doesn't seem to be ending any time soon…but their technology…it is very similar to the ones used by Jail Scaglietti a while back but it is also extremely different. It is like some kind of future technology of Earth or something.

As I was lost in thought, there was a loud crash coming from outside the door.

Asakura pressed a few buttons on an orange holographic device attached to her left arm that appeared when she moved her right toward it and asked, "What's wrong?"

The replier's voice was pretty soft, but I could still make it out.

"My apologies. Patient A was doing her rehabilitation rounds when she bumped into someone moving cargo. Thankfully no one was hurt."

"I see. I'll check on it anyways." She turned off her communication device and stood up. "I'm going to check on another patient. Please get some more sleep. You will definitely need it."

As she left the room, I slumped back down on the bed. Her voice seemed soft and kind even though it was being distorted by that mask. Even though she pointed a gun at me, I still felt relaxed when she came in the room. Probably because like she said, I was on a lot of medication, or maybe it was because…she feels kind of…familiar…

"Grah, damn it, I can't fall asleep like this…" I mumbled as I got up and walked to the door. I pressed my ear against it and listened carefully to see if there was anyone outside. When I was perfectly sure the coast was clear I…huh…how do you open this door?

As I thought that, the door opened up.

"By thought? Yeah right…probably hit a switch or maybe it's like an automatic."

I peeked down the hallways and saw no one so I decided to take a little walk.

I didn't get very far before I heard someone coming. I instinctively dived into the nearest room, which was pretty similar to my room until I heard their footsteps disappear.

I gave a small sigh and looked around the room. There was someone lying on the bed. It was Subaru. She was sleeping soundly on the bed as I walked toward her and sat down on the chair beside it.

"Even though I've lost everything else, at least I still have you"…is what all those video game-slash-manga-slash-anime heroes all say. To that, I say they're freaking idiots. How the hell can anyone keep moving on so easily after they nearly lost everything? If I had killed Subaru as well…what would have happened to me…?

"What's wrong? Your face is scary…"

Subaru seems to have woken up and was staring at me from her resting position.

"Sorry…I was doing some pretty heavy and dark thinking."

"You shouldn't do that…it's not good for you," Her voice tells me that she is still very tired. I wonder if I should keep this conversation short.

"Yeah well…I never had the time to really sort my thoughts out," I said with a small sigh as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Things…just seem to have led to hell and I don't know how to get out."

"Don't worry…at the very least, you're not alone," she replied as she placed her hand on mine. "Your mom, Tea, and I will all support you."

Even in a moment like this, I couldn't feel her warmth because of this damn parasite on my hand. But still…

"That was a real cheesy line right there."

"Hey! Don't say that!"

"Ow! Don't hit me! Well, if you are this energetic I guess you'll be fine. Ah…"

I had to push her back down onto the bed in order for her to get some more rest but somehow I found my face right next to hers. Come to think of it…it has been awhile since we had kissed…

She seems to be thinking the same thing as she turned quite a nice shade of red and her eyes were darting all over the place before she simply closed her eyes…guess it's okay then. Well then, I won't hold ba-

"Excuse me, I'm here for your check…up?"

Subaru and I turned to the person who just walked in on us. It was Asakura. She just stood their staring at us with a god-knows what expression behind that mask of hers before shaking her head and sitting down on the chair at the desk.

"I guess I'll just put down that you're in good condition for now…" she mumbled as she scribbled some stuff down on her paper. Oi, Oi…is that really okay, Miss Doctor?

"In any case, it is good to see that you are both healthy. I would like you both to follow me now. Are you able to stand?"

She was looking at Subaru who was trying to get up. I lent her a hand but it looks like she could just barely stand.

"I see. There are no physical problems with your body so it may just be exhaustion. No problem we can just use a wheelchair."

I cringed a bit at the sight of the thing but I didn't say anything about it as I helped her into the chair. Subaru seemed to be a little uneasy about the whole thing too. Oh, that's right. We haven't talked about it yet…I'd really rather not talk about it either.

"Am I running away again?" Both Asakura and Subaru turned and looked at me as I thought that. "Oh…was I talking out loud?"

"To run away from everything, or to stand and face it," Asakura began as she walked out the door and beckoned us to follow. I pushed Subaru's wheelchair trying to keep up with Asakura as she continued her "lecture."

"Such thoughts are perfectly acceptable, especially in times of such uncertainty like this. Many people often find themselves in the same position. You are not the only special person in this life you know."

Despite the monotone nature of her voice, I felt a dark emotion behind it but it vanished as she continued to talk.

"Depending on the situation, either choices could be the correct one. 'Run away and fight another day' or 'hold your ground and be completely crushed?' The first one by itself causes no harm and the more logical choice. But what if there was another part to it? 'If you run away from the fight, hundreds upon thousands of people will die,' or 'stay and be the only one to die.' The great 'heroes' will stay and fight and therefore become martyrs of history or sacrifices to their own ego."

"Then are you saying it's wrong to try and save people?" Subaru asked quickly. I could tell from her voice she was trying to suppress her anger. That's right…after Section 6, she moved on to some big name rescue team in the government. What Asakura is saying can be taken as an insult to her pride as a rescue worker.

"Not at all," Asakura said as she stopped and turned around. "If I had thought that, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now would I?"

"But…on that hand," I began as they turned to me. "Didn't you lose a whole bunch of soldiers just to save a small group of people?"

There was a small silence before she let out a small laugh.

"Yes, that is exactly what happened here. Thirty-seven of them to be exact."

"You…how can you say that so easily?"

"Subaru…calm down…"

Though I say that, I agree with her. This Asakura is filled with contradictions…I suppose she believes in some sort of utilitarian concept? She didn't say anything for a bit before turning toward a door on the side.

"The meeting room is through this door and down the hallway. Please wait there until everyone else arrives. Miss Takamachi and Miss Harlaown had requested to be return to the mainland, so they won't be joining you."

As she left, the two of us headed down the doorway she pointed out to us.

"I'm…I'm not sure if I fully trust her," Subaru said breaking the silence.

"I'm not sure either," I replied slowly. "But at the very least, she saved us for a reason. We just need to see what that reason is before we make any conclusions."

We reached the end of the hallway where another door stood in front of us but I was hesitant to go in.

"It's not going to kill us or anything right?" I asked in a half-serious, half-joking manner.

"It's just a door," Subaru replied tapping my hands. "Let's go."

Ah yes, it was only just a door…now if only it didn't contain something that made me want to stand at the doorway gaping like an idiot for about a minute before something white with red stripes flashes in front of my eyes immediately followed by a painful impact that may have to do with the caving in of my eyes.

"You dumb ass! What took you so long to get here!"

"K-Kasumi-sempai…I think Yuuki-sempai is still recovering from his injuries…"

"Oh, he's handled a lot worst punishment. We all saw that already. Hey Subaru! A girl shouldn't have her mouth hanging open like that."

Kasumi and Shou were standing over me like the days back in high school. I'd say I was dreaming, but the pain I'm feeling hurts too damn much for it to be a dream.

"Come on you lazy bum!" Kasumi said as she grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. Might I add this is my arm that was previously dislocated by a freaking cannon? "You can't fall asleep during a tearful reunion."

On the other hand, this could be just a really, really bad nightmare.

"Excuse while I pop my eyes back into place and…what the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Well, just after you left your house your usual depressed state and the air raid alarm went off," Kasumi said as she sat down on one of the chairs in the circular meeting room. "They came in, busted the door down, and kidnapped us. Oh and they zapped me to keep me from fighting back! "

"It was impressive," Shou noted as he nodded his head. "The stun gun reached her from where they were standing at the front door to where she was standing at the bottom of the stairs…all six of them…"

"Mind you, I _still_ have the burn marks…"

"Considering where you were hit, I don't think most people would have noticed…"

Ignoring the loud snapping sound coming from Shou's neck I immediately wanted an answer to a question that has been crawling out from the bit of my stomach, the top of my heart, and the depths of my soul.

"What about Sakura?"

The two of them stopped messing around and looked at me.

"Well…she's here at least," Kasumi mumbled softly rubbing the back of her neck.

"Your father is alive too," Shou chimed in.

These two both made two totally unnecessary comments that are making break out in cold sweat.

"Get on with it! What's the 'BUT' in this line of dialogue?"

"We all kind of…saw what you almost did to the guy who nuked our hometown. You looked like you were possessed."

"So…Sakura saw it…too?"

"Yeah," Shou said as he looked behind him at what I thought was a wall. "The screen was showing a live feed of everything the cyborg you dubbed 'Ghost' was seeing and he was looking at the scene for almost the entire time."

"But he didn't actually kill him!" Leave it to Subaru to come to my defense…with a rather weak line, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"But…" Damn it, Kasumi, don't say that word! "When you see someone you've known since you were both in diapers go and break every bone in a man's hand…it's not very pleasant to watch…not that I wouldn't have done the same thing mind you…"

"But…" Shou! Not you too! "When you consider a nine year old girl who hasn't properly spoken to her brother in a few years with nothing but gentle memories…"

"I see your point…"

I slumped down on a chair nearby and buried my face in my hands. If I had known the bastard was going to keep ruining my life even after I beaten him to an inch of his life, I would have god damn finished the job.

I recalled the feeling I had when I was torturing the man. I've injured my fair share of people while I was trying to find a way to cope with Sakura's accident while in high school, but I always felt pissed off at myself for coping with violence, except for the occasional assholes that redirected their taunts to something other than me. Those guys deserved every medical bill.

But in this case, it was like a sense of euphoria. The more I beat him the more I wanted to increase his suffering and better I felt about doing it. I think I'm treading down a very dark path.

The sound of the door on the other side of the hall pierced the dead silence of the room. I could also hear the sound of something tapping the ground in sync with the footsteps. I immediately stood up and took a few steps away from the door just before it opened and I see someone…walk…in with Oyaji…

"Oh crap…I knew we forgot to mention something." I could see Kasumi smacking herself in the forehead. Hey, you don't need to do that when I could easily use my gauntlet or my own forehead to do that for you.

"Yo. You seem healthy, all things considering," Oyaji said as he walked up to me and Sakura followed behind him.

"Y-yeah…you too," I mumbled as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Both of you in fact…Kaa-san's been trying hard not to fall off the wagon so it would be nice to see her relax again."

"It's nice to hear your sarcastic jokes again."

Okay, it's a nice normal conversation with him, not bad…

I was feeling more and more uneasy as Sakura continued to stare at me with a blank look on her face. I took a small step back, completely unsure how I should go about acting around her.

Suddenly, my head began to ache and the scenery began flashing. It was coming back, the memories of that have always haunted me.

"Onii-chan?"

I found myself staring at the entranceway of a small house. I can see the back of a boy, loaded with bags, as he was talking to a man and a woman. They turned to look at the little girl in a wheelchair who had just appeared around the corner. The boy began to back away as the girl tried to move closer to him. Soon he broke out into a run.

"Hold it!" I shouted as I grabbed him by the collar as he ran past me. "What are you doing?"

"I…I can't…it's all my fault…" He was mumbling so softly that I could barely make out the words.

"You can't leave like this. If you do, you'll live everyday with a cold wall around you. Nothing awaits you down this road but an empty apartment void of any signs of life. The warm comfort of a family that you've lived with your whole life will disappear, and no matter what you do later on, you will never feel it again!"

_What ARE you doing?_

It was that voice again. It was coming from behind me, but the only thing behind me was a wall that has my shadow cast upon it.

_Who are you talking to? Have you really considered that?_

I turned back to the boy, only to see that he was vanishing into thin air, and was replaced by a mirror that popped up in front of me.

_You can't hide anything from me. _

We've been through this…who are you?

_Me? I am your true self. Everything you can't say, everything you deny, everything you hate about yourself is everything I do say, everything I praise, and everything I love._

You are the darkness inside a human heart, my heart, a shadow.

_Exactly. You've been ignoring me for so long…you should let the darkness out a bit more. You already have the perfect medium.._

You mean the Devil Ärms?

_What else?_

But I use the black one all the time. Shouldn't you be happy?

_Why should I be happy about that? I can't do anything with that!_

What are you talking about?

_A shadow doesn't exist in a dark room. We need one thing to exist._

The light…you mean the white one?

_Who knows? Maybe you'll find out soon…_

What?

_That woman said she was giving out answers. Maybe you should get in line._

Just what are you doing? What is it you want?

_I want you to survive. And I'll damn make sure you do no matter what the cost. If you go, I go. But now the darkness is clearing…so it's time for you to go now. We'll finally get some light in here…let's meet again…real soon._

As I turned around to look at my shadow, a small impact around my waist knocks me off my feet and I land on my butt back in the ship, surrounded by everyone else. They were all staring with their eyes wide open. I looked down and found Sakura with her arms wrapped around my body.

"H-hey that's dangerous," I said as I placed my hands on her arms. My voice was raspy and dry from my little random experience. She kept her face buried in my stomach and I could feel it getting a little damp. She seems to be crying her eyes out. "Hey now, stop crying."

"B-but, but…" she was trying to speak through her tears. "You looked like you were going to go away again."

So I guess she recognized my "what the hell am I supposed to do?" face. Damn it, I really screwed everything…no stop it! Stop freaking blaming everything on yourself!

I took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Don't worry. I told you before right? I won't go anywhere like that again."

She nodded her head and then gave me another hug.

"Damn it…I feel like a jerk now," Kasumi said as she sighed and sat down.

"Indeed. Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to make judgments-erk!" Shou let out another few words before being attacked by Kasumi again.

As I stood up, Sakura turned her attention to Subaru and the two started to talk about Subaru being in the wheelchair.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sakura asked she placed her hands on Subaru's legs as if to check if they were really there.

"I'm okay, it's only temporary," Subaru replied as she patted Sakura's head.

I quickly turned to Oyaji and asked him about Sakura's legs.

"It happened right when we got aboard this ship," he explained as he sat down on a chair and I sat down next to him. "That Asakura woman offered to give Sakura a new pair of legs. At first I was completely unsure about the whole thing. I mean, first we get pulled out of our house, and then it all disappears in a giant sphere of light, and then these people offer to help her. In the end, I decided to trust them, and I feel that it was the right choice."

"Yeah," I replied as I looked over at Subaru and Sakura. "She's not used to walking yet?"

"No. She's still in rehabilitation and can't walk very well without her crutch. She knocked over someone earlier and made a big mess. But these people are amazing. They were able to give her legs that can link up with her sense. The prosthetics we were planning on seem like garbage compared to them…expensive garbage."

Cybernetics…so that means Sakura actually has feeling in her legs again.

"You should have seen her wake up after the surgery with her new legs…she seemed so happy. Probably even more than when you came back home a few months back."

"I see…"

A few minutes later Kaa-san, Ayumi, Teana and Alex came in, being led by Ghost, who had changed from his orange outfit to a red one.

I never thought I'd be able to see this scene again. But when I saw Ayumi sitting alone in the corner reminds me that Ed wasn't here. Nothing can ever work out perfectly, right?

Ghost knocked on the wall to gather everyone's attention as a screen appeared in the center of the room. Even though it was a screen, all it says was "Sound Only."

"Greetings," Asakura's voice echoed slightly in the circular room. "I apologize for not speaking to you in person. A matter has emerged that required my attention; therefore I am unable to be in the room right now. However, I can and will answer any questions that you may have, provided that I have the answer of course. This is a one-way visual transmission, so I'll be able to see you, but you won't be able to see me."

"Then let's begin with an obvious question," Kaa-san said as she stood up. "Who are you people, and why have you come here?"

"Officially, we are the First Research and Development Squad of the Neo-Belka Empire."

"'Neo-Belka?'" I repeated. "You mean like the empire that existed some thousand years ago?"

"That's right. Our emperor, after taking control of all known space, decided to revive the Belkan lineage."

"How long has your empire been in power?" Kaa-san continued her line of questioning and I decided to just listen for now.

"From your Midchildan Calendar, five years from the year 0081."

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

"What? That's five years from now!" Alex said as he stood up in shock.

"Like I said, 'after taking control of all known space.' To put it simply, after the Mid-Childan era came to an end, we took power…five years from now."

She continued ignoring our reactions.

"Which brings us to our purpose here. Five years from now, the Neo-Belkan fleets will begin their attack on Mid-Childan space and destroy countless planets during the war, Earth included, all in the time span of 6 months. Our being here was to do what we can to keep it from spreading as far as it did."

"So what you're saying is, you traveled back in time?" Shou asked with interest written all over his face.

"More or less."

"Would you happen to have any proof?"

"Of course."

At this Ghost, who had been leaning against the wall near the door began pressing some buttons on a device similar to the one Asakura had been using and the screen changed and began showing a lot of information, news articles to be exact.

"W-what is this?" Teana asked as Asakura began reading the articles.

"Month 4, Day 23 Year 0076, Private 1st class Subaru Nakajima KIA during a terrorist attack on Non-Administrated Planet #97, Cause: Classified. Month 10, Day 26, Year 0076, a jailbreak at the maximum security prison, Class A prisoner codename 'Blue Rose' found dead in her cell, Cause: Believed to be from the explosives used in the jailbreak. Month 12, Day 24, Year 0077, Enforcer Teana Lanster's body is recovered from her the flaming wreckage of her car two blocks from her apartment. Month 8, Day 13, Year 0078, Enforcer Edward Kaufman found dead in the apartment of Captain Kimura Yuuki, Cause: Unknown. And finally…Month 11, Day 29, Year 0079, Captain Kimura Yuuki is found dead within military grounds, Cause: Believed to be the blade wound that separated most of the torso from the main body. Upon transport the body mysteriously vanishes off the radar."

"You had to freaking ask didn't you?" I spat at Shou as I covered Sakura's eyes with my hand because as Asakura read out the "obituaries," several images popped out to further prove her point. Everyone whose name was called became pale but when mine came out, I thought I was going to be sick. It looked like someone managed to cut me from the area between my left shoulder and my neck all the way down to my stomach…and it didn't even split off from the body.

"There are some things that bother me about it," Shou said completely ignoring me. "The first is Nakajima-san's classified death cause, as well as…Kaufman-san's death report.'

"First off both of those deaths are now incorrect as we have already prevented the cause of Subaru Nakajima's demise and that Edward Kaufman has already perished due to our operation," Asakura said simply. "His demise was an unforeseen consequence."

Although I had pretty much figured that out, it was harsh to think about it. If they hadn't come back Subaru would have died tomorrow and Edward would not have died two days ago and instead die two years later…

"As for the cause of her death…I have the information but is it necessary to hear it?"

"It was me, right?"

Everyone looked at me when I said it. After a long pause, Asakura simply said, "Yes."

I felt someone squeezing my hand tightly…actually both of them were being held. Subaru and Sakura were looking at me as if expecting me to freak out but I told them that I was fine. It was obvious…I had almost killed her back on the ship due to the self-preservation instinct of the Devil Ärms.

"If your group had not acted as quickly as you did, The CK forces would have invaded the mainland where Ms Nakajima and Kimura Yuuki would engage in a battle with heavy collateral damage in which…well, you can probably guess."

There was the sound of paper being shuffled from the screen before Asakura spoke again.

"Moving on to the reason why we decided to return to the past. My department was performing an experiment that would allow time travel and we had succeeded…to a point. We were able to send things backwards, but we were not able to bring them back. In short, it was a one-way ticket."

"Somehow, Angra Mainyu, or rather Commander Plackett, managed to get a hold of our designs and found a way to build a gate large enough to move a fleet through. During its construction, my people discovered his plan and managed to infiltrate his ranks. There, my task force, led by 1057, was able to infiltrate my plan to keep as many of you alive as possible."

"But what would you gain from helping us?" Kaa-san asked.

"It is not an act of good will, but a selfish reason. My home planet was glassed and then obliterated when at the very start of the war when the Belkan forces arrived and declared war on the Time Space Administration Bureau. It is my hope that if I could manage to keep the people, who may have a chance to change most of the events that happened during the way, my planet may be saved as well."

The room fell silent again and the only sound that could be heard was the rustling from Asakura's side of the transmission. Shou seems to be very interested in all of this as he soon thought of another question to ask.

"I'm interested in your cyborgs, what exactly are they? They seem different than Nakajima-san."

"The difference is minimal," Asakura explained as images of the cyborgs appeared on the screen. "There are two basic types of cyborgs used in our military, the Soldat and Kämpfer units. The Soldats are your basic infantrymen deployed on the frontlines of every major military operation. They are programmed and trained for any and all sorts of operations and weapon use. Kämpfers on the other hand are specialized troops with special capabilities."

"You mean something like an Inherent Skill?" Subaru asked.

"Yes, the most common IS would be the anti-magic territory field. The field grows in strength the more units that have the IS are within the same vicinity. Other capabilities include stealth and camouflage…you've seen our copy of Miss Harlaown correct?"

She was probably talking to Subaru and me.

"Yeah, the copy was close enough for us to be completely fooled…to even copy her device," I replied.

"Right. This as well as every piece of our technology was brought over by our emperor."

"Another thing," Shou continued. "Before, you were talking about 'banned' cyborg variants, can you elaborate on that?"

"Very well," Asakura said as the monitor changed again to show a diagram of what she was talking about. "There are four variants of cyborgs that are barred from mainstream military usage. All of them were banned due to either the nature of creating them or because of the dangers in deploying them."

"The first are M1 class 'Hunters.' These were ever deployed during the war against Mid-Childa simply because they were too dangerous," Asakura began as machines, not unlike the Gadgets we faced back then, appeared on the screen. "Unlike regular cyborgs, these things are 100% machine. They were created to eliminate anything using magic power within the area of operation and were not to stop until everything using magic was destroyed. Originally their purpose was used to destroy other machinery but when it was going through simulation, the 'Hunters' were also targeting living targets too. So if a small squad were to be dropped into the middle of a city, the whole population would be annihilated."

"The M2 class has multiple forms, including the ones seen on the Dreadnought, the 'Slicers.' I have no details on how these things are created, nor would I want to know, but I have my assumptions." The M1 pictures disappeared and were replaced by the moving zombie-like bags of flesh that nearly killed us on that ship. I felt Sakura jump when she saw them and began clinging tightly onto my arm. "They were originally created as tools of psychological warfare and were pretty effective…too effective. They display animalistic traits, are capable of maneuvering through small areas such as vents, and a single one of them was more than capable of killing small squads before being neutralized. A small group of them were deployed during the Neo Belkan-Midchildan war but after wards they were determined to be too difficult to control, as they had a tendency to attack everything in sight, both allies and enemies. They were all supposed to have been destroyed after the way, but it seems that Plackett had managed to get a hold of them from an anonymous source."

"Next we have the M3 'Titan' class." Once again the pictures changed to show the current cyborg. There was a chart that compared the size of a regular person to the M3; it was almost half a body taller than the human. "The M3s were designed with the intention of having them as Super Soldiers. The M3 was less of the person but more of the specialized armor that was used. It not only injects morphine into wounds to allow the soldier to continue fighting despite the wounds but its barrier also deflects projectiles more efficiently than a Soldat's and also neutralizes heat efficiently enough to allow them to be dropped from the atmosphere without the use of pods. However their drawback was the armor also causes the person inside to lose himself and become nothing more than a death machine. Therefore the production of the Titan armor was stopped, but the emperor felt it was too wasteful to get rid of them all. So they are only deployed within his Royal Guard."

Again with this emperor of theirs…a man that created an unstoppable technologically advanced army and was able to completely dominate the forces of the TSAB...in only half a year. Well if they could generate massive magic dead zones…I suppose that could be possible.

"And finally, the M4 'Mirage.'" Instead of the usual detailed images there were only pictures of Ghost and two other cyborgs. The other two's outfits were pretty much the same except different colors. A mask with the emblem of a white and black wing around the eyes, along with a mantle covering their entire body all the way down to the ankles, similar to what Ghost has. One of them was blue, while the other was orange. "To my knowledge Mirages were not used during the war but it was still researched during that time. I had gotten hold of some of the research data…around four years ago, in my time of course, and used it to…'create' 1057 there."

Everyone turned to look at Ghost who remained where he stood, ignoring our gaze.

"But what is Mirage?" Subaru asked.

There was a long pause before Asakura answered, and I did not like the answer one bit. "A cyborg created from a corpse."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and some of the others were looking at Ghost with cautious eyes.

"The next few things I am about to say may seem harsh, but I mean no disrespect. It is all on a scientific and unbiased point of view. The fundamental idea was based on the 'Fate Program.' A Mirage was supposed to fix the basic problem that the Artificial Mages in the Fate Program usually have. The first thing is that they are merely copies of the original and even if memories are implanted, there was a chance that the copy would still not act like the original. The Mirages are not copies and are able to fully bring the corpses back to life by replacing several of the organs and joints of the body with cybernetics allowing them to regain their movement. However due to the fact that the plans I've acquired were incomplete when I attempted it on 1057, most of his mechanoreceptors and one of his lungs do not function properly…"

"Hence my speech…" Ghost finally spoke up causing me to jump a bit. "However…do not concern…yourself with such a…trivial thing…if you see it…in a larger scale…it was a success."

It looks like he is trying to comfort her but we couldn't tell Asakura's reaction from our side.

"But why would you go to such lengths to revive someone who has already died?" Ayumi has finally said something, despite ignoring everyone, even Shou, earlier. "Death is something we all have to accept."

I wonder if that means she's decided to stop grieving over Ed.

"You are absolutely correct," Asakura replied. "My reason for doing so was, from a logical standpoint, foolish, therefore I will not go into it."

"Putting that aside," Shou said as he made a motion with his hands as if he was lifting something up and setting it aside. "How could you tell that the other two cyborgs, are Mirages too?"

"The other two are the emperor's personal guards. Shortly after the war, he had discovered an underground lab that was being used by the TSAB and discovered them there. I was not part of the team that went with him but a colleague of mine who did told me that apparently they were people he knew that had died before the war."

"Wait…so the TSAB were the ones who created this?" I asked.

"Why should you be so surprised?" Asakura asked. "You've already seen people within your government experiment with the creation of life, why should the thought of reviving the dead be so farfetched?"

Now that I thought about it…it was a pretty stupid question. The person to my left was created somehow by the technology the TSAB have and not through natural means…I keep forgetting this fact…not that that's a bad thing I guess.

"I guess this is where we will end our little lecture. Some people need to be put to bed," Asakura said as the screen turned blank and then displayed the words "Sound Only" again. "We have already set up the transport of Plackett to the Bureau's hands as we have no way to punish him right now. 1057, I leave the rest to you."

"Yes ma'am…"

I took a look to my right to see Sakura's head bobbing up and down as she tried to keep herself awake.

"Alright…I was hoping to learn a bit more about your tech, but I guess it can wait," Shou said as he and Kasumi stood up and left the room together. Makes me wonder if…haha no way…

"Yuu-kun," Kaa-san spoke to me just as I was about to get up. "Take care of Sakura for the night."

"No problem," I said as I stood up slowly, as to not wake Sakura up, and slowly picked her up and carried her on my back. Subaru was also able to get up by herself. The two of us headed out and back towards Subaru's room, as it was closer than mine.

Subaru was walking a few steps back behind me so I stopped to let her catch up, but she ended up stopping as well.

"What's wrong? Does something hurt?" I asked as I turned around.

"That's what I want to ask you," she said looking me straight in the eyes. There will be no point lying to her.

"To be honest…I'm probably just pretty damn tired," I said as I started walking again. "Maybe all the fatigue is finally getting to me now that everything will really end tomorrow…"

"Yuu-kun…"

"I've been fighting constantly for two whole weeks, both against myself and against the Cyber Knights."

I took a quick look at Sakura before continuing. "I saw practically all the people in my old life disappear in an instant that when I saw them again…it felt like my sense of reality was bending to the absolute limit, but Sakura managed to bring me back."

There was a bit of silence as I slowed my pace so I could continue talking.

"Very recently, I've been hearing this voice that's been trying to push me over the brink. I've heard it three times in these last two days. Twice yesterday, and just a while ago when Sakura came in. The first time I was able to snap back just in time due to sheer willpower…no…maybe it was…fear? In any case…right after that it came again, and you saw what I was doing at the voice's urging. Of course I it was my intention of doing so from the very beginning, it simply made my choice easier…but at the very last minute…"

"You stopped…" Subaru finished my sentence for me.

"Right…because I thought I heard another voice saying…"

"I don't…want this…" I stopped as Sakura mumbled something on my back. She was rubbing her eyes and trying to get back on the ground. "I have legs…I want to walk."

"If you're tired then just let me carry you," I said but I let her down anyway.

She stumbled for a moment but managed to keep her balance. She took out a small rod from her pocket and it extended into the cane she was using earlier. I decided to stop talking since I didn't want to trouble her.

When we got back to Subaru's room, I walked in with her and as she was lying back down on the bed Sakura crawled in with her and fell right back to sleep.

"Sorry about this," I sighed as I pulled a chair up to the bed. Before she fell asleep, Sakura was holding both Subaru's hands and mine and she fell asleep while still holding onto them, therefore I'm not going anywhere…

"It's fine…she's probably just afraid of us disappearing again," Subaru said as she perched herself up on her arm to look at me.

As I looked at Sakura's sleeping face I couldn't help but think that…

"She's an extremely strong girl."

"Yes, I think so too."

"But no matter how strong she is mentally and emotionally, she is still a kid…and if Asakura's timeline is correct…in five years there is going to be a large scale war…and in that time…what's going to happen to us then? To this planet?"

Subaru couldn't say anything, not that I was looking for an answer from her anyway.

"Based on what Asakura said, about me…it seems that there may be some insurgents inside the TSAB and they tried…or did frame me for it…and then I end up de…"

"Please stop right there," Subaru said quickly. "Just for tonight…can we just forget about all of that?"

"Subaru…"

That's right…unlike to the rest of us, who despite the troubles, had others to rely on, Subaru spent the last few weeks trapped alone on an enemy ship…

"Sorry that you have such an idiot for a boyfriend," I said as I slumped down on my chair.

"That's alright. It's been a long day, let's get some sleep."

"Right…"

There will be plenty of time to ask questions after we get rid of the half dead bastard.

Although I said that, we ended up going on an errand instead…

"Like I said earlier," Asakura said from the front. "We need you to come along on the exchange so that we would not be considered enemies just because we use the same technology."

Asakura ended up taking Alex, Teana, Subaru, and me along to the exchange site, which was at the ruins of our old city. The drop ship was pretty large, but I didn't mind. Since it means I didn't need to sit within the same room with that bastard. But what I couldn't stand was that it was around three in the morning.

"Well, it is the best time as people should still be asleep," Alex said as he stifled a yawn. "Of course, that includes us too."

"Couldn't we have done this during the night?" I asked as I smacked myself on the cheek to keep myself awake.

"Well our former captains called them as soon as they got back to the mainland," Teana said as she too struggled to keep awake. "So it can't be helped if they got here at this time."

"I want to file a complaint," I mumbled as I slammed the back of my head against the wall.

"Well, you'll definitely be filing a report of this incident, 'Lieutenant,'" Teana sneered.

"Ah crap…"

The door to the cockpit opened up and Asakura walked toward us.

"Well be arriving at the rendezvous point soon, are you all still awa…I guess not," She cut herself off when she looked over in my direction. I turned to my left and saw Subaru was out like a light.

"I'm sorry about this," Teana mumbled looking at Subaru as well.

"Well…just be sure to wake her up once we land."

"Excuse me, captain," Someone chimed in on the comm. device on her arm.

"What is it?"

"We seem to have a little…stowaway…"

"Huh? Who is it? And why are you whispering?"

"I'm bringing them up right now…you'll understand when you see it."

About a minute later one of the cyborg soldiers came up carrying the stowaway in her arms.

"Eh…Sakura?" I jumped out of my seat when I saw her. She was sleeping but it seems that she followed Subaru and me when we were called without anyone noticing.

"Seriously this girl…"

"I apologize for my sister's actions!" I said quickly.

"No…it's no problem. Just make sure she doesn't get in the way."

"Right…"

"If you don't mind, I'll watch her for you," Alex said.

"Really? I don't want to bother you."

"It's okay. You have to meet with the landing party anyways, and I don't mind."

As the soldier gave Sakura to Alex, the comm. rang out again.

"'Ma'am? TSAB landing party sighted. Should we open a channel?"

"Do it."

There was a sound of static before I heard another voice but Asakura quickly redirected the conversation to her own ear piece and kept her voice as low as possible so no one else could hear her.

"Right...we'll meet you on the-"

Before she could finish her sentence, all of the alarms in the ship began to sound off, waking everyone up completely.

"Huh? What? What?" Subaru asked as she looked around quickly.

"What's going on?" Asakura called out to the pilot.

"It's a warp ma'am!" The pilot replied. "One super-dreadnought class ship, one carrier class, and two cruisers have appeared on the radar!"

"Any identification?"

"It's...it's the Martyr's Rebellion!"

"What! That's impossible!"

Asakura was completely losing her composure...as well as her footing as she had to grab on to one of the rails.

"What's wrong?" I asked standing up quickly.

"It's him...he's here..."

"Who exactly?"

"Our king, the first emperor of Neo Belka...Null Enders."

The emperor? So he came back in time as well? But what for? There's no way it just to take care of one criminal...is it?

"Landing party!" Asakura began addressing the TSAB soldiers on the ground. "Evacuate the area! Those ships do not belong to us! Those are hostiles!"

But before anyone could do anything, there was a loud explosion and Asakura threw her ear device away and held her ear in pain...

"Contact has been lost! The ships have opened fire on the landing party as well as on us!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Get us away from those ships!"

"Ma'am!"

But before we could do anything, there was another loud explosion...coming from below my feet.

"We're hit! We're going down! All hands brace for impact!"

"Aw damn it all!" I shouted as my hands started glowing.

The next thing I heard, was the sound of metal crunching bending and snapping.

"Damn...is everyone okay?" I asked as I rubbed my back.

Everyone was rubbing some part of their body as they stood up. It seems we smashed through some buildings before finally crashing into the ground. The cockpit has been torn right off and there was a gaping hole near where Asakura was standing.

"We're alright," Subaru replied, rubbing the back of her head.

"Then please get off of me," Teana mumbled from underneath her. Finally a crash that didn't involve me at the bottom of the pile.

"Sakura-san's alright as well," Alex said with Sakura in his arms. "Though she seems to have fainted from the crash."

"At the very least, thanks to you, everyone in this room is still alive," Asakura mumbled as she looked at what used to be the cockpit. "Thank you, 0846." The soldier seems to have attempted to shield Asakura from the impact.

"Perhaps it would have been better to bring along the XO as well?" he asked.

"No, I can't always rely on him after all."

"A-anyways, let's get out of here..." I suggested as I moved toward the opening of our wreckage and peeked out at the surroundings. It was still fairly dark out and the only sources of light were the fires from that attack and the ships above us.

"Uwah...the entire bottom section of the ship is gone..." Subaru said pointing to the wreckage we pulled ourselves from.

"I think it would be more accurate to say that our section was the one that split off," Alex said as he came out with Sakura on his back.

"First off we need to get out of the streets," Asakura said as she pointed to the alleys. "Thankfully this city should be entirely empty so we shouldn't be running into any problems. We need to find the aft section of the ship where the prisoner was being held. At the very least, we need to find out if he is still alive."

"Captain, looks like the cruisers are leaving," The soldier pointed out.

Everyone looked up and saw the two smaller ships leave but the two larger ones remained.

"This is not good," Asakura said as she put her hand on her chin. "Did they complete my project? If the emperor had headed the project then that shouldn't have been too hard for him. But in any case we need to move now!"

Everyone followed her lead down the alleyway with her in the front and myself in the back. There were several loud crashes behind us where the wreckage was, but...

"Ignore it! We have to leave now!" was what Asakura shouted at me when I stopped to look back.

As we ran through the city, there were several times where Asakura would suddenly stop and head off in the reverse direction and almost immediately afterward, the same crashes I heard earlier would sound in that direction. I really want to know what the heck are all those crashes.

"Are we almost to where you are leading us?" Teana asked when we stopped again.

"We're pretty close...but so is the enemy," Asakura replied. "Kimura Yuuki, I need you to take Teana Lanster up to the top of this building to take a look around. But you have to make sure they don't see you."

"Wait, why those two?" Subaru asked.

"The two of them have specialties in long ranged combat and therefore will be able to take into account the entire scenery. Also if they are spotted I'm sure the power of the Devil Ärms would be able to adequately protect the both of them."

"Gee, nice to see you're so confident in me," I mumbled before turning and offering my hand to Teana. "Well shall we go?"

"Y-yeah, I suppose," she replied not looking at me.

I carried her up the side of the building and we entered through a window on the 6th floor. There was a huge hole in the wall and so we made our way toward it and saw the bottom half of the ship...along with a lot of bodies... and just a little bit away was...

"Plackett?" I asked in a whisper.

"It looks like it," Teana replied. "But he's surrounded by a bunch of other people. Wait, are those 'Titans?'"

"Yeah...then that black robed guy in the middle must be the big boss...the emperor."

For some reason, my arms were aching, but I paid it no heed, I had to make sure that I don't miss anything. Then I noticed something strange. Five swords appeared out of nowhere and began floating around the emperor. And with a flick of his wrist four of them moved and stabbed Plackett in his arms and legs.

He let out a horrible scream that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up but I didn't feel bad...or sick...on the contrary I felt...overjoyed? At that moment the final sword plunged right through his head.

"Urgh, how terrible," Teana whispered. She stood up and headed back towards the way we came. "We better tell the others about what happened."

"R-right," I said as I looked back down at the group.

"Ugh...I think I'm going to be sick...I thought this was supposed to be a simple missio-"

"TEANA, MOVE!"

I gave her a strong kick and sent her flying toward the window as a rocket exploded where she was standing. The explosion knocks me the other way out toward the emperor's group. I landed on top of a car and felt the metal poke into my back, but that was the least of my worries.

Ignoring the pain I flipped myself over so that the car was between me and the enemies as I hear their bullets hit the car. Damn it, I freaking hate guns.

"Well, no point in complaining now!" I slammed the ground beside the car to flip it on it's side and kicked it towards the Titans but the two in the front caught the car and stopped it. Undeterred, I then fired a shot at the gas tank of the car causing a very nice explosion.

I quickly jumped over the flames and tried to attack the emperor himself but when my blade was an inch away from his mask, something landed on me and slammed me into the concrete..

"Ow...crap...what the hell?"

I turned my head as much as I could to see what landed on me. It was the blue Mirage. They put a blade next to my neck to keep me from moving anywhere.

"Well now, so this our rat?" a cold metallic voice in front of me said. I moved my eyes toward it and saw the emperor looking down at me. The man's face was covered by the same mask the Mirage was wearing and his voice was distorted just like Asakura's. "So where are your friends hiding?"

"Like I'd tell you," I spat and I felt my arm being twisted by blue here. "Ow! Stop that! It'll break!"

"That's enough Blau. If they are nearby, I think I know a way to get them to show themselves."

He glanced over at the remaining Titans and nodded. The Titans nodded in reply and began scaling the buildings. He then reached for one of the pistols lying on the ground and looked at me. The Mirage on top of me moved back a bit and flipped me on my back...

"Oh man...you're not going to-"

BANG

A sharp pain hits my legs before I could finish my sentence.

"Th-the old torture bait, is it?" I asked through clench teeth.

"I guess," he said with a shrug. "I know this tactic is more commonly use by snipers...but I can't risk you dying until I draw out the other rats. And as long as Blau is holding you, your 'magic' won't be able to help you."

I remember reading about this. Like he said it's normally used by snipers. A sniper would shoot and incapacitate an enemy soldier that is away from the main group and then begin torturing the downed soldier by shooting his limbs until one of their friends try to rescue him and then the sniper would either do the same thing with this soldier or just kill them...

"And according to the reports, there should at least be one person dumb enough to fall for this. Now, try not to fade too quickly."

I did my best to try and keep my pain as quiet as possible, but it was painful. For some reason sometimes when he shot me, it burned like all hell, and then other times it was freezing, but all the time it hurts.

"Well now, this is a surprise. No one came out."

I let out a sigh of relief at the apparent stop in the shooting, but my legs and arms were in too much pain for me to even move.

"Though...I wonder what would happen...if I shot you in the head instead," he asked as he turned at me again.

At that moment, something fazed out from behind him and kicked him into another building. It was Subaru! "Blau" quickly released me and attacked her. As the two of them engaged in their fight Asakura appeared behind me and dragged me off the street.

"I thought you guys abandoned me," I said as she propped me up against the wall

"I thought I told you, I need you alive!" she said as she started spreading some kind of gel on my arms and legs. It cooled down the pain really quickly and I regained movement in my limbs. "We were avoiding the scouts that were on the roofs as well as ignoring your screams. We had to restrain Ms. Nakajima so she wouldn't give us away. It seemed like she's working out her frustration pretty well."

I looked up to see Subaru kick Blau away and head toward us as the sound of gunfire rang in the air.

"Yuu-kun! Are you okay?" Subaru asked as she looked me over. After it looks like she's happy with my state she looked at Asakura. "Tea and Alex-kun are holding up but we need to help them fast!"

"Wait! What about Sakura?" I asked quickly

"0846 is watching her," Asakura said as she stood up. She then turned around and fired a few shots at some orbs that were heading toward us and they disappeared. The other Mirage had showed up near where Blau crashed. The emperor also got up and cracked his neck a bit before speaking.

"Asakura is it?" He asked as he stood in between his Mirages.

"Yes, my lord..." she mumbled as she aimed her guns at him.

"What is the meaning of this? What was your aim in creating such a thing without my knowledge?"

"To prevent the deterioration of space."

"Deterioration? I'm a deterioration? You have no idea what you are doing. Blau. Apfel."

At his call the Mirages moved. Blau moved toward Subaru, while Apfel headed toward the rooftops where it was met with orange magic shells. It seems Teana will be fighting against it. Damn it! Isn't the healing complete yet?

Asakura moved between me and the emperor as if to shield me from him but despite that, her arms were shaking. Even I could tell that the emperor is no small fry.

"I understand that I may be naïve and ignorant, but your ways are not the correct ones, and they never will be!"

"In the law of nature, strength is justice!" Null shouted as he advanced toward us. "Might makes right! The one who wins is the one who is right. I have placed my might against that of this pathetic galaxy and have proven myself to be the strongest!"

At that moment he rushed at Asakura, but I managed to throw myself on my feet and block his blade with my lance. The red lines that decorate the pure white sword were traced along it all the way to the hilt where it spiraled downward to the bottom.

"Which is why I needed to find your might before you did..." Asakura said as she lowered her weapon and stepped back.

"You...why do you have them?" I asked as I struggled to keep my footing at the same time I tried to push him back. "Why the hell do you have the Devil Ärms?"

"It's previous owner was unable to fully realize it's power," he replied as he knocked my lance up and jumped backwards. "So I relived him of his burden."

At that moment there was a loud explosion as one of the buildings in the vicinity collapsed. The carrier had began firing down at us, but it seems Null has no idea about this either.

"What are you doing Beckman? I gave you no orders to open fire on the city!" He shouted at the carrier.

"Sorry my lord," came a reply from the carrier. "But I will be giving the orders from here on out."

"Are you turning on me, Beckman? You have no idea what you are truly up against." I could feel the air grow heavy as his hands began glowing green and red as he held his right hand up at the ship. "I will tear your ship apart with these two hands!"

As they argued I see something jump out of the collapsing building. It was the cyborg soldier with Sakura in his arms...or rather...arm...

He landed on the ground with a loud crack and toppled over. Alex also came out as well as two of the Titan units both holding two combat knives in their hands. They were dueling in the air. Alex managed to overtake one of the Titans and kicked him down toward the street and landed on top of him. The Titan's arms and legs jerked out and then went limp. The remaining Titan dived at Alex and the two started rolling around until they hit a wall and Alex was pinned under the Titan. The cyborg quickly left Sakura on the ground and ran to help. He bowled into the Titan and managed to knock him off and drove his combat knife into the collar bone area of the armor where the protection was thinnest. The titan fell silent quickly and the cyborg turned to look at Sakura and Alex before he fell over backward and stopped moving as well.

I wanted to run over and check on Alex and Sakura but I was unable to move due to the pressure being exerted by the emperor. However Alex stood up and shook his head and quickly ran toward Sakura and gave me a sign that she was okay.

There were several other crashes as Subaru and Blau landed next to Null and myself respectively. The two of them seem to have knocked each other out.

Then at that moment there was a bright light shining in the sky.

"You fool! Martyr's Rebellion! Stop that fool now!" Null shouted at his ship.

But it was too late as the scene turned black and began spreading across the sky.

As the scene turned white a loud voice boomed in the air.

"MASS SHADOW STEP!"

* * *

The missing lights have returned to his path towards the future. But as the light in front of him grows larger, so do the shadows behind him. The shadow in front of him now, has a story that pains the soul. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Null Enders

* * *

Author's Notes:

LONG LONG LONG! I was considering splitting this into 2 chapters but I felt that it might be better if I kept it like this since I doubt anyone would want to read an entire chapter of just explanations and no action and another cliffhanger to boot. I don't know why I'm doing a cliffhanger when I hate when it happens to me...is it because misery loves company...or is it because it was how i planned it months ago?

Anyway, I have some disclaimers here. The technology of the Neo-Belkan Empire was inspired my the technology of the game Mass Effect, the Titan class is inspired by the soldiers in the game Section 8, and the M2s were inspired by the Necromorphs in the game Dead Space. All three games are awesome and you should either watch a playthrough or play the game yourself. All the games can be played on the Xbox 360.

But seriously, this is a long ass chapter...it's over twice as long as my previous longest chapters...10,000 words (Not including my notes of course)...that's a big accomplishment to me, but plenty of other writers do this every chapter... I've got a ways to go...so please stick with me until the end as the 3rd arc has begun!


	16. Null Enders

Author's Notes:

This chapter is told from Subaru's point of view~

* * *

**Chapter 16: Null Enders**

"Ngh…my head…"

I rubbed the back of my head as I came to my senses. The first thing I noticed when I came to was the dark and emptiness of a city. The sky was filled with some sort of black material and it seems to spread across the entire city, as if it was being encased by the darkness.

There was no source of light at all except from the small fire still burning in the city. There was a loud noise behind me and I quickly turned around to look for it. It seems that one of the streetlights had finally fallen over.

I-in any case I should try finding Yuu-kun and the others...it's a little scary being here by myself. I guess I'll try heading towards all the commotion.

I followed the noise toward a group of Titans fighting a bunch of machines that look like the Gadgets...I think they were called "Hunters?" There were about twenty hunters against 3 Titans. The Titans were putting up a huge fight and seem to have all the attention of the Hunters.

Maybe I should find a way past them while they are busy. As I left the area, I could hear multiple screams. I think there were too many Hunters for the Titans to handle. I better get out of here! If I remember right, they can track magic...maybe I better go on foot from now on? It may be slower but I think it would be safer.

As I made my way through an office building I saw something in one of the rooms. It was blood trail leading up the building. Despite my better judgment, and knowing that I should be trying to get away from the Hunters, I slowly made my way up the building following the trail...maybe it's my personality of wanting to help people. As I got closer I started hearing something like a soft tapping...I think someone is hiding or trapped somewhere.

The blood trail led me to room on the sixth floor but I couldn't hear the noise anymore so I decided to look around a bit. The room defiantly has been abandoned. There were scattered papers across the floor and the chairs had been turned over...it seems like the previous occupants ran when the first missiles hit and no one has been inhere since the massive evacuation. Which means the person who is in here has to be someone who is either with the landing party...or with Null Enders...

The only thing that seems touched would be the employee lockers on the other side of the room. I walked on over and opened the locker with the red hand print on it and to my surprise, found Sakura-chan, huddled at the far corner, covering her head, and crying.

"Sakura-chan?" I asked softly. She stops crying long enough to look up at me she immediately jumps out and hugs me and starts crying even harder. "Hey, it's okay now. You can stop crying. Can you tell me what happened?"

She stopped crying long enough to wipe her tears and nose with her hands before speaking.

"I-I woke up on the street with nobody around," she explained as she wiped her eyes. "And then, I started hearing a lot of loud noises and screaming!I got scared and ran into the building to hide..."

"It's okay, I'm here now. Are you hurt?"

"I fell down a few times but I'm okay!" she claimed but I can see some cuts on her arm and legs. She was trying to put a brave face even though she was crying just a minute ago.

"Okay, then let's try to find everyone else," I said as I picked her up on my back. "We'll be able to go faster if I carry you."

She didn't look happy about my suggestion but she got on all the same.

As I walked down the building Sakura-chan was looking around the building as if she was looking for something.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she looked around for the dozenth time.

"Can't you hear anything?" She asked nervously.

"Uh...no, I don't."

"Isn't that strange? For the entire time I was hiding, before you found me, I could still hear loud bangs and people screaming. Why can't we hear them now?"

Just as I thought that she was pretty clever for her age, there was a loud crash at the bottom of the staircase. One of the Hunters had smashed through the wall and seemed to be searching for something before looking up at us.

"We're going back up!" I told Subaru as I turned around and started running up the stairs as fast as I could as it began shooting at us.

I only managed to go back to the sixth floor when another gadget crashed through the ceiling and through a few of the upper levels before stopping in front of us.

"Target...locked on..." It said in its mechanical voice.

I made a quick detour through the rooms and ended up where Sakura-chan was hiding.

"Onee-chan! How about the window?" Sakura-chan pointed out.

"Right! Hold on tight!"

I smashed right through the glass and equipped my Barrier Jacket and began riding the Wing Road away from the Hunters. I was using my cyborg energy rather than my magical energy in order to avoid being tracked but the Hunters don't seem to be giving up the chase.

"Are they still after us?" I asked.

"Yeah! They're on the flying path like us!" Sakura-chan replied.

I quickly turned around to put myself between Sakura-chan and the Hunters but continued moving along the Wing Road to keep as much distance between us as possible. Here they come...

"Gun Barrel...loaded...target locked on..."

"Shell Protection!" Mach Calibur projected a barrier as the Hunters began firing at us. It was more effected at blocking the shots but it wouldn't hold for long.

"Onee-chan!"

I quickly looked behind as another Hunter landed on the Wing Road.

"Shadow Mass Driver...deploy..."

"Kyaaaah!"

It lifted its legs up and slammed them down on the road, sending a wave effect along the road and destroying it, sending the two of us flying off but I managed to catch Sakura-chan before she hit the ground. We were in a large crater probably caused by the missiles days ago.

But the Hunters were surrounding us. There were around a dozen of them now, placed evenly around us allowing us no chance of escape.

"Gun Barrels...loaded...fire..."

"Protection Maximum!"

The all opened fire at the same time but somehow I was able to keep my barrier up to protect Sakura-chan at least.

"Subaru Onee-chan! That's enough! You can run away yourself!" Sakura-chan was pleading with me but there was no way I was going to leave her.

"I couldn't face your Onii-chan...if something were to happen to you," I said as the bullets penetrated the Protection barrier and began hitting the jacket's barrier. It hurts a lot but I wasn't going to move. "If you...are going to call me your Onee-chan...then at least...let me protect you!"

"Onee-chan!"

Within seconds the barrier failed and I could feel the bullets pierce my skin. The bullets smashed my knees and I fell on top of Sakura-chan to block them from her. From Yuu-kun's wounds, it showed me that at the very least, they weren't able to pierce through a person's body so easily.

"Reloading rounds..."

The Hunters seem to be reloading at the same time.

"Sakura-chan...listen to me..."

"Huh?"

"After they...stop shooting again...you have to...keep quiet...that way...maybe they won't notice you." My throat hurts...and my arms and legs weren't responding...but I have to tell her.

"No...you can't be..." Her voice was cracking as she seemed to realize what I was suggesting. "No! Stop it! I don't want this! I don't want you to die!"

"It may be scary...but you need to survive...it won't be long...until your Onii-san comes...you two...you both still have a lot...you want to say...to each other...right?"

"Gun Barrels..."

"And that's why...I'll make sure...that you'll get that chance..."

"...Loaded..."

"ONEE-CHAN!"

It's scary. It's scary knowing that death was seconds away. Even though I had just finished saying that...my body was shaking and I was crying in fear. I couldn't even open my eyes...I was too scared to look. Yuu-kun was placed in the same situation so many times...and yet he always kept his eyes open and forward...

"Fire..."

"Yuu-kun..."

The sound of gunfire rang through the air followed by sequential explosions…it seems that someone had arrived on the scene. Taking a chance, I slowly opened my eyes.

Several octagonal barriers were scattered around the two us. They were constantly moving around shielding us from the battle above.

Someone or something black and white was rushing from Hunter to Hunter and tearing them apart with their bare hands. The remaining Hunters were scattered and disappeared from my sight.

Sakura-chan pulled herself out from underneath me and flipped me over on my back allowing me to get a better look at the person who saved us. I recognized the long black jacket.

"Yuu-kun?" I asked as he turned around. But it wasn't him.

Instead of his face I was looking at a steel mask that covered his entire face. The design of the mask had sharp points like fangs on the cheek area on four different layers and there were holes near his nose and mouth as well as for his eyes, which glowed a deep yellow.

It wasn't Yuu-kun...then who is it?

He stepped off the edge of the crater and slid down the slope toward us. When he was about three meters away, Sakura-chan slowly stood up between me and the man and spread her arms to stop him.

She was having problems standing up as her legs kept shaking, but I wasn't sure if it was because she was scared, or because she still couldn't stand properly, or if it was because her legs were still hurt.

"Stand aside," he said slowly as he stopped in front of her.

"I-I won't let you hurt her!" Sakura-chan scream at him not backing down an inch despite the fact that he was over twice her size.

"I don't have time for this...hey! Let go"

The man tried to go around her but Sakura-chan daringly decides to stop him by grabbing onto his leg. He raised his hand up but stopped when Sakura-chan flinched. Instead he grabbed her by the collar and threw her towards me.

As he did, four Titans came crashing down around us along the edge of the crater as well as the orange Mirage. They looked at the man before moving toward us. I thought they were going to attack us but instead two of them turned around and kept a lookout while the others hoisted me onto a stretcher and carried Sakura who was too scared to resist anymore.

"We can't have them following us," the man said as he put his hand on my device and muttered, "Magic...Dispel." There was a small flash of light and my Barrier Jacket disappeared. But that magic is...

"You've set up the base camp I trust?" He asked the orange Mirage.

"Yes, my lord," they replied. I think it's a girl, and the man must be Null Enders...

They took us to what looks like an old hotel where they made their camp. Sakura was taken to another room while they began treating me in the lobby.

"Don't worry," Null Enders said as he sat down on a crate with his back towards me. "Juliana here will take care of you...and I won't peek."

He nodded his head and the other three Titans left the lobby area.

"Why are you helping us?" I asked as the man as he started a fire nearby. His clothing started to vanish and was replaced with some I've seen earlier.

"I may be strong, but it would be a waste of my time if I were to fight two groups while I find a way out of here. I don't care if you trust me or not. All I need is your cooperation and in turn the cooperation of your allies."

"Why should we help you when you tried to kill us?"

"Oh? I wasn't aware of that," He replied mockingly. "I told my troops to stop your factions from meeting, and the only person I killed was one fat bastard and tried to kill the previous host. What is wrong with that?"

"You monst-"

"Oh and that little girl...her legs are cybernetic right?" He asked with his back toward me. He turned his head slightly so that only one side of his head can be seen. "It's embarrassing to know how easily the cybernetics I made can break. It would be heartbreaking if hers did wouldn't it?"

"You wouldn't dare-!" I wanted to hit him but the Titan that were treating me pointed a gun at my face.

"Would you like to call my bluff then?" He asked standing up, facing me and spreading his arms out and then placing his hands on his chest. "I am the man who destroyed a galaxy wide empire! I've created weapons that can destroy an entire planet in seconds! I've killed BILLIONS of people with a single command! I am DECEPTION! I am CHAOS! I am NULL ENDERS!"

"This man is dangerous," was all I could think of. And since he has the same abilities as Yuu-kun...I don't think I can beat him...especially not when Sakura-chan is here...

"Can I ask you one question then?" I asked and he nodded. "What were you hoping to gain by shooting my friend?"

"Hmm? Oh the previous host? I was trying to lure Dr. Asakura out. She created a device and used it to try and destroy my empire. She has to be punished for her treachery. But that can wait until we are done with an even bigger traitor."

"Deception seems to be a theme with you people..." I noted but he simply laughed.

"Come now don't say that...we're all cyborgs here. You could be a little more polite can't you?"

Before I could reply the door opened and Sakura-chan came out with the orange Mirage. She was dressed in some pink pajamas. Null Enders looked at the Mirage and pointed at Sakura-chan and then sighed and sat back down with his back toward me.

When she saw me, Sakura-chan broke away from the Mirage and jumped onto the sofa with me and hugged me.

"Don't do stupid things any more!" she said.

"I'm sorry..." I replied as I hugged her back.

"How touching," Null Enders said as he started clapping. "If you are done playing house, Subaru Nakajima, I would like your answer. In exchange for protection, will you cooperate with me? Yes...or no?"

My hands are tied...I can't do anything but accept in this situation.

"Excellent. It is good to see that you understand your position. Now please be sure to listen to my commands if you want to prevent any...accidents."

"Grr..."

I wanted to stand up for a bit but my head started to ache and my sight started getting hazy.

"It looks like the meds are finally starting to kick in. Have a nice rest. We'll be moving out in an hour..."

His voice began trailing off as I nod off to sleep.

"…I know what I'm doing, nothing will go wrong…"

"No…I won't let my emotions get in the way. I threw them away five years ago."

"Don't get smart with me with 'five years from now!'"

I woke up to the sound of a single voice...arguing? Null Enders was pacing back and forth in front of the fire, sometimes stopping whenever he spoke.

"I've spent ten years cursing my weakness for being unable to do anything," He was saying as he waved his fist in the air. "And now I have them right in front of me...safe, unharmed, and best of all...alive and both of them scorn me. Since donning this mask I have killed so many people, many of them former comrades-in-arms and friends...yet when those small innocent eyes glared at me with fear and hatred...even this black heart of mine was wounded for even the slightest of moments."

He was looking at Sakura-chan who was asleep on the couch across from mine. He slowly walked toward her and knelt down so that he was eye level with her. He reached his hand out but stopped a few centimeters from her hair and drew it back as if he had been burned.

He stared at his hand for a moment before moving back towards the flame.

"I'm not a coward. I just don't deserve it," he mumbled before sharply turning towards the door. "Both of you, wake up now!"

He kicked my sofa over and threw a pillow at Sakura's head.

"Get up now!"

"W-what is it?" I asked as I held my head in pain.

"They're here...those disgusting creatures..."

At that moment the air vents popped opened and something flew out at Sakura-chan.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Eh?"

There was a nasty sound and some liquid splashing over the place...blood. But it wasn't from Sakura-chan.

Null Enders was standing above her with his arm stretched out with two blades sticking out of it. It looked like one of the M-2 cyborgs...

"You have some never scum," Null Enders said as his arm shook. I quickly rushed over and pulled Sakura-chan away from them. "You have some nerve injuring me. Ha...ha ha...the blood is flowing...this feeling...IS WHAT I LIVE FOR!"

He spun around on his feet and slammed the creature onto the floor head first. He then stood on its torso and pulled its arms from it sockets. He then pulled the blades from his arm and used it to cut off its hind legs and finally it's head.

"HA HA HA HA! Is that all you got cretin? I didn't even have to use my power. COME NOW BECKMAN!" He started shouting at the walls. "I'VE TAUGHT YOU SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS! Show me deception! Show me the chaos of a battlefield! SHOW ME YOUR RESOLVE!"

He threw one of the arms at me so I ducked and it split another M-2 right in half.

"What are you doing? Get a move on," He spat at us as he started heading the door. "Oh wait...why the hell am I still holding on to this nasty thing?"

"Onee-chan..." Sakura-chan was clinging onto my arm and shaking. "I don't like this place or that man..."

"I know," I replied as I held her back. "Let's find your brother and get out of here."

We were traveling through the darkness but the cyborgs handed us some night vision masks. Everything was bright green and it hurts whenever I looked at a light source.

Null Enders was rubbing his arm and flexing it. It looks like he heals faster than Yuu-kun does...or does he simply ignore the pain?

"Oh? We actually made it?" He suddenly said.

"Where are we?" I asked. All I could see was a wall that looked like the sky.

"It's the boundary of this field...but it looks like we wont be able to simply force our way through..."

Two of the Titans walked on over to a streetlight, ripped it from the ground and carried it over to Null Enders. He picked it up with his left hand and threw it straight at the wall. It seemed to smash against the wall and began to crush itself before flying away from the wall into the building next to us.

"It's specially designed to keep everything inside," He explained as he dusted his hands. "Anything trying to get pass the wall is pushed back with twice the force. Therefore the only way to get out...will be to destroy the generator. For this kind of field it should be located somewhere within. Most likely at the center...now is it above or below it...?"

He seems to know what he's talking about...even if I don't.

"But it's strange...why haven't we seen any Hunter drones...even with the mask some of my magic should be leaking out..."

At that moment there was an explosion somewhere on the far side of the city.

"Ah...it's because they're all out trying to kill the other one...he still hasn't found any allies? Or is he simply deciding to fight alone?"

"Sir! Multiple unknowns are heading towards our position!" One of the Titans said as they began to form a circle around us. "There numbers...over thirty!"

"I see...Apfel?" Null Enders turned to the orange Mirage. "Since Blau is not here, we can only release half of the seal...but it should be enough."

"Yes, my lord," She replied. She pulled out her weapon, a red gun with a white cross at its center, and aimed at his hand. "Are you ready?"

"Do it..."

As they were preparing the Titans formed a circle around them.

"Oi, Mage!" One of them called out to me. "If you want to live, help us protect our king! It doesn't matter if you use your magic at this point!"

"I'm not going to help him!" I shouted as I put on my barrier jacket. "I'm doing this to protect Sakura-chan!"

Then from all around us they began to appear from all around us, raising from the ground like zombies. There were more than just the bladed ones we've seen before. There were ones that only had two limbs and a long tail, ones that crawled on all fours with armor like scales on its front and even ones with a massive arm that they're dragging on the ground toward us.

"C-captain! There are Bombers, Leapers and even Brutes among them!

"Don't get close to any of them and if you can, aim for the legs!" He instructed as the other Titans readied their weapons. "We're not trying to kill them, only stall them until the unsealing is done! Mage! You're the last line of defense, so you better not screw up!"

"Understood!"

The titans began firing at the ones that were dragging a large arm, and they began to explode, and damage the surrounding M2s. As the battle began I had Sakura behind me and I could hear the unsealing taking place.

"Release of the Left...Please state your three wills! If the world were to die what would you do?" Apfel asked to Null Enders.

"I will protect it!" He shouted and she shot him in the arm.

"What are you doing?" I shouted but none of the Titans paid it any heed and the two continued.

"If the universe turned against your world...what would you do?"

"I will fight the universe!"

Another shot was fired into his hand, bringing him to his knees as the blood was flowing onto the ground. At the same time the M2s were coming ever closer. One of the Titans was crawling toward the center, having been hit in one of their legs, but was still shooting as they backed up. Another one rushed over and started dragging them back while the Captain pulled out some discs and threw them at all the directions before detonating them. But the M2s were still coming closer.

"And if the world turned against you...What will you do?"

"I...will...DESTROY IT!"

With the last shot the blood on the ground began to rise and form into a wing on his left side while the blood flowing on his hand began to recede and spread across the left side of his body.

"Awaken! The Absolute Shield of the Devil King!"

And finally the wing to glow as his mask spread across his entire head and formed the helmet I saw earlier.

Null Enders stood before me like he did earlier when he saved us. The M2s seemed to recognize the threat as they stopped advancing and instead began launching some kind of ooze at us.

Null Enders raised that feather barrier around us with a motion of his hand and blocked the ooze.

"The absolute shield...Rho Aias. Well now...let's begin our little game..." He said as he stepped outside his barrier. Immediately all the M2s rushed him but he formed two blades extending from the sides of his left forearm and began slicing them all with ease.

One of the armored ones managed to get behind him and slam into him, running him into a wall, but he flipped himself on its hack and drove the blade straight down its spine, splitting the lower half of it's body in half, making it slide and crush its head into the wall instead, before slicing off its legs. But it was still alive and it had arms hidden under one of its shoulder plates holding onto his legs as the ones with the large arms charged him.

"STOP SCREWING WITH ME!" Null Enders shouted as he cut the arm at the wrist, grabbed the rest of the body and swung the armored M2 into the others which exploded on contact leaving only the part of the arm he grabbed onto. The remaining M2s began to back away only to be fired upon by the Titans and Apfel.

"Don't let any of them get away! We can't have any of them left when the barrier falls!" Apfel ordered as she ran to chase them.

One of the ones with tails had made its way around us and jumped at the downed Titan.

I instinctively ran toward them and punched the M2 into the ground.

"Mage!" The downed Titan shouted as he threw a disc at me. "Press the button in the center, stick it on the bastard and then get away!"

I did as he told me and kicked it away from me and it exploded against a group of them. I couldn't help but be pleased with my work for a second.

Within a few minutes they were completely wiped out and I was completely disgusted at all the carnage. Null Enders and his soldiers were talking amongst themselves as I was comforting Sakura-chan.

"We're moving out," Null Enders said as he started walking away from the barrier wall with his soldiers following.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked.

"We're going to link up with the previous host. He's recklessly attacking the enemy in a flashy manner which means that he is most likely causing a distraction, which means he may have found the rest of your group."

"Yuu-kun has?"

"That's right, unless he's just a complete idiot…errgh…"

He suddenly dropped to his knees and clutched his heart.

"Sire?" Apfel asked as she rushed up to him. "Were you injured? We don't have any meds left but…no…this is…empathy?"

He was clutching his heart and his breathing was short. He began screaming as he slammed his head onto the ground and clutching the sides of his head for around a minute before stopping.

"Hah…hah…ha ha ha ha…right…I've forgotten this can happen in the midst of a war zone," he muttered as he caught his breath.

"Then…that means…" Apfel asked, her voice sounding scared

"Then I guess it's even more urgent that we have to find Blau," He said as he continued down the road like nothing happened. "Move it!"

Sakura-chan got on my back and we followed him again. I'm worried that Null Enders might go insane and try to attack us.

"Um...do you hear something?" Sakura-chan asked as she looked up in the air.

"Huh?" I tried listening and I think I hear the wind whistling. The Titans behind me stopped as well and began looking around.

"What's wrong?" Apfel asked she turned around. "Hmm? What is that...?"

"It sounds like someone is...screaming?" I said as I looked up. "Ah! Watch out!"

Something crashed down...on top of Null Enders. As the smoke cleared it I saw who it was.

"Yuu-kun?"

"Y-yo...how's it going?" he said as he looked up at me.

* * *

A story can change depending on who's eyes it is told through. A single event can spawn multiple stories. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: The Other Side of the Mirror.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Have you ever been to TvTropes? It is a very interesting little wiki-like site that deals with all sorts of storytelling elements. Well, the reason I put the title Devil Ärms in front of the original titles is so I can classify them and therefore make a smal TvTrope wiki page about it. Feel free to take a look see. Simply google TvTropes and then type in Devil Arms into the search bar on the front page and it should be the first item on there. Have fun, and feel free to add anything you'd think would fit after lurking around the site as well.


	17. The Other Side of the Mirror

Author's Notes:

So...I wonder if anyone remembers this...well according to the traffic chart...a few people are still reading this...to all of you out there who are still reading this, "I LOVE YOU" and "I'M SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES!"

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Other Side of the Mirror**

I seem to be waking up after being passed and or knocked out lately...and this time I seem to be blind as well; it's dark as hell here. I think I landed in some kind of puddle because I was soaked and my back is all sore. I waited a bit so my eyes could get used to the darkness before moving on. When I could just make out the outlines of my surroundings I stood up.

Looks like I'm in a supermarket that my family...well...used to go to for our groceries. I felt my way toward the breaker on the far side of the store, being careful not to trip over too many times. and tried to turn on the lights. Only one or two of them actually turned on but it was enough to actually see better.

And I can see now that my front was covered in...well...blood I guess, but it wasn't mine. And my back was covered in dirt and dust like I was dragged in by someone. Maybe the blood was theirs? If that's the case they should still be be around here. I hurried over toward the entrance, hopping over overturned shelves that no doubt had been looted during all the chaos.

"Bingo," I muttered as I noticed a dark red trail. I followed it and was quite surprised on what I found. That blue cyborg that had pinned me down earlier is slumped over in the corner of the building with a pipe lodged in her thigh. It looks like it hurts like hell...is she dead?

I got closer to get a better look. Her mask was cracked in several places and blood was trickling down her body from her head as well as her leg. There was a medium size box covered in bloody hand prints. I opened it up and found what look like medical supplies. I mean...they had red crosses on them so...probably?

Uh...what should I do? This person tried to kill me...but I now she is dying and I have the means to cure her...probably.

Damn it, I shouldn't even be wasting time thinking about it. I opened the box and turned to her leg.

Right, first off I better make sure she doesn't bit her tongue or something. I carefully placed my hands around her mask and tried removing it. The area around her mouth came off with ease and I found a cloth in the aid box and put it in her mouth.

I quickly read over the instructions on the box. It looks like I have to apply this medical gel over the injury and it'll do the rest. The problem would be removing the metal pipe. If I don't close it quickly it'll probably shoot out like crazy.

"Should I pull it out slowly or quickly?" I thought as I tore her pant leg a bit so it wouldn't get in the way. Luckily the pipe wasn't too big so I guess I'll pull it out quickly. I placed my knee on her thigh and held the lower part of her leg to keep it from moving in case she jerks around. Though I don't think you can hear me, I'll just say it for my own sake, "This is going to hurt...A LOT!"

I then proceeded to quickly, but carefully, yank the piece of metal out of her leg. And as I expected her body jerked about and she started screaming in pain through the cloth.

"Ah shut up! I was blasted some odd number of times, you can deal with a stupid pole!" I shouted as I managed to pull it all out. I quickly covered the wound with my left hand as I used my right one to administer the medical gel to her leg and watched as it almost instantly closed the hole in her leg. I guess this is what Asakura was spreading over me earlier...this is some insane stuff.

I took a quick look at the cyborg. She seems to have passed out again.

Wait, what am I doing just idling here? Sakura...and Subaru are out there! I have to find them!

At that moment I heard the door open from across the way and someone or something with two legs walked in. That rules out the machines and that leaves either those zombies, the Titans, or someone I know…

The doors closed with a loud thunk that echoed throughout the building and their footsteps echoed as they walked around the building; perhaps following the blood trail? Then I guess I better not take my chances...

I placed my hand on my sword and carefully walked toward the sound. It was coming around the corner...then as the lights suddenly shut off, I rushed out and swung my sword. It clashed against some metal and I can see the flash of a gun being drawn. I cracked my neck to the side as the bullet whizzed past me. Then the lights came back on and I recognized the person in front of me.

"Asakura?"

"Kimura...Yuuki..."

It looks like she blocked my attack with the side of one of her guns...that's some strong material.

"Judging by your reflexes it seems that it wasn't your blood," She said as she holstered her guns. "Then just who have I been tracking?"

"That blue robed Mirage from back then," I said as I pointed to the pharmacy area. "I think she got hurt dragging me in here so I patched her up as best as I- Oi where are you going?"

Asakura suddenly ran toward the area I pointed out and I followed. When I entered the room she was kneeling over the cyborg looking over my crappy work and applying some real treatment.

"You haven't looked under her mask?" Asakura asked as she finished up her leg and removed the cloth from the Mirage's mouth.

"N-no," I replied. "It wouldn't come off except for the mouth piece which was cracked..."

"I see. So you tried to help not just a complete stranger but one who merely half an hour ago tried to kill you?"

"Well...it sounds stupid when you say it that way...but she dragged me in here and..."

"Don't be mistaken, I wasn't criticizing you. It was a compliment; a very humane thing to do."

Even though her voice was masked I felt a tinge of sadness and regret.

"Do you not consider yourself a human?" I asked.

"My enemy is someone who massacred entire planets...I have to do whatever it takes to stop him, even if it means killing my emotions to do so."

"But you've saved hundreds of people with your actions and even my family. If you truly had killed your emotions you would have just rescued me..."

"I suppose that's true," She muttered as she stood up and turned toward me. "And yet I had no hesitation of creating a Mirage. Can someone who reverses the flow of life and death call themselves a human? Can someone who turned an old friend into a living corpse simply because she was alone."

"I..." Her words hit me right in the gut. But I couldn't just say nothing. But all I could say was, "I...no one...no one wants to be alone."

She simply stared at me for a long time before sighing. "Such a wide range for what's considered 'human.' I wonder where the line is drawn" she said.

"Yeah...when your girlfriend is a cyborg from another planet, you'd tend to have a wider range for things like that..."

"Really now...how do you always find a time for jokes?" She mumbled as she shook her head before turning to the cyborg. "Oh, she's waking up."

She got to her feet and had one hand on the wall for support before looking at the two of us. It took a moment before she realized who we were and tried to take a battle stance.

"That's enough of that Defender Blau," Asakura said. "In a situation where you are in a mutual enemy force's territory it would be foolish to fight us here. Especially when we took the time to heal you."

Blau looked around and noticed the medical items as well as the bloodied pipe and her bandaged leg. She looked back at the two of us and nodded.

"Sorry, but the two of us don't have the network implants remember?" Asakura said as she pointed to her head and mine. "We won't be able to understand you if you don't actually speak."

Blau thought to herself for a moment before replying, "I see...I guess it's okay...is something wrong?"

I was startled by her voice but Asakura simply walked over to "Blau" and placed her hands around her head and slowly removed the mask.

"Here, I know that he doesn't allow you to remove your MASC but since it's broken you might as well as it'll get in the way," she said as she tossed the mask aside.

"I suppose so..."

"Wait a minute, Asakura!" I shouted as I grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face me. "What the hell is this? Why is she-"

"'The Mirages are not copies and are able to fully bring the corpses back to life' was what I said back on my ship didn't I?" Asakura replied unmoving. "That's all there is to it."

"So...so you knew about this?"

"Knew about it? I was the one who did the final adjustments to both of Null Enders's Mirages. Aren't you glad you decided to help her now?"

She pushed my hand off her shoulder and headed toward the entrance leaving me to try and collect my thoughts.

"Umm...were you the one who treated my injury?"

"Blau" had walked up to me before I realized it and was standing right in front of me. "If so...thank you."

Blau looked exactly like "her" except her eyes were yellow and her hair was much longer...just a little above the waist.

"N-no...it was just payback for dragging me to the market," I replied quickly.

"Huh? I didn't do that. I passed out after the metal pipe was lodged into my leg."

"Huh? Then...who..."

"You two! Front and center! We have company!" Asakura called from the doors and the two of us rushed toward her. "Multiple Hunters are closing in..."

I peeked through the crack in the windows and saw around half a dozen of them a few yards out heading toward us. They had four legs that they used to crawl around and their bodies were a kind of cylinder shape.

"Are the two of you fine for combat?"

"Yeah, probably," I said as I checked my blade.

"No problems here. All weapon systems are okay!" Blau replied.

"Hunter Class type-B...they'll attack with small arms at a distance but will use blades when in close range...so we won't be able to exploit a weakness in their offense," Asakura explained. "I have something that can jam their systems, but I can only use it three times and it might be a waste to use it on such a small number."

"How about destroying their legs so they won't be able to defend from behind?" I suggested.

"Hmm...the armor around its leg joints may be thin enough for that. Alright, we'll try that then. Kimura Yuuki, you draw their attention and try to cripple them while Blau finishes destroys them. I'll provide support fire, understood? We'll use these short range communicators to relay information."

Blau and I nodded as we took the devices and moved in front of the doors. I prepared myself with my lance as Blau prepared her weapon...a knuckle class one...but...

"Are you left-handed?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Is that a problem?"

"No, I just didn't expect that."

"Quiet!" Asakura said as pulled out two of her pistols and glanced out the window. She extended three fingers and began lowering them one at a time. One...two...THREE!

Blau and I burst through the doors and at the same time and rushed the Hunters and Asakura began firing from the building. The hunters were disorientated enough that I was able to pierce one of their legs right away and as it dropped to the ground Blau smashed passed its armor and ripped out some wiring and the two of us jumped back as it exploded. Five more to go...

However the others had deployed their weapons and shields and were firing almost indiscriminately at us. The shots were short bursts and ripped through my barrier when I tried to deploy it. At least they were focusing on me so Blau and Asakura could do some damage.

We soon destroyed two more with our current arrangement leaving three of them left. However, they picked up on our strategy and began sticking close to each other, forming a small circle and alternating attack and defense.

"What kind of AI do these things have?" I asked as I ducked behind a dumpster to avoid all the spray.

"That formation...Blau, Kimura Yuuki!" Asakura called out. "That formation is used to defend against attacks from multiple sides. However due to the design of the unit, makes them vulnerable to attacks from above."

"I got it!"

"Understood!"

I spread my wings out and jumped up into the air. Like Asakura said, they couldn't accurately shoot at us.

As I expected they all focused their attention on me. I guess they'll prioritize the target with the most magical energy.

"Blau! You're moving in too close!" Asakura called out and I saw a streak of dark blue run towards the enemy.

"That idiot!" Even though she managed to punch right through the center hunter she was unable to pull her arm out and was stuck. I formed two small swords and strung by bow. I shot them simultaneously as the remaining two hunters extended a blade out. My swords hit the center of their blades and destroyed them. At the same time two shots from the supermarket plowed right through both their shields and armor leaving them completely immobile.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I asked as I landed next to her and helped her dislodge her arm from the wreck. For some reason I am reminded of that time when Subaru destroyed that punching machine. But no matter how much she looks like her...this isn't...

"Are you two alright?" Asakura asked as she came up to us. She was holding her right arm in pain.

"Are you alright?" I shot her question back at her.

"It is just a drawback of using kinetic weaponry...responding to Issac Newton's third law of motion...the recoil seems to have fractured my arm. However, I still have my left arm." she added as spun one of her pistols around her finger.

"But at the very least we should apply basic field aid," Blau said as she opened her med kit.

"Don't use any gel, a cast and sling is enough."

As the two did their thing I kept a look out for any other enemies. In spite of myself I couldn't help but take side glances at Blau. Seeing her fills me with a feeling of dread as it means that she really could have died under different circumstances...

But what I really want to know why she would be made into a Mirage in the first place. Sure she is a strong mage but there were a ton of other people that were stronger that had died.

I pressed the area between my eyes as I tried to think of a possibility. Then something Asakura said earlier stood out in my head. "Being alone" was what she had said. I guess the reason she would be brought back was because Null Enders ordered it and he wanted to because he was alone. Then that would make him someone close to her and has...

I stared at the black and green between my eyes and they widened as an idea slowly sinks in.

"Asakura..." I tried to remain as calm as possible but when I spoke my voice sounded very strained. "I need to ask you something."

"What's wrong? Were you injured as well?" She asked as she came up to me with her arm in a sling and Blau was following close behind her.

"I've been thinking…for every question we had, you answered them immediately and definitely, on all topics save one, Null Enders."

"That's because I have no definite answer for anything regarding the man."

Even though her voice was in her usual monotone, I could tell she was lying.

"Then entertain my theory for a moment. From what I've gathered, Null Enders is a cyborg, not that it's strange seeing as his entire army is so that explains how he can use your weapons with no problem. Second, Null Enders was someone who knew Blau before she was a Mirage. That limits it to the people within her friends and family or people who care enough about her to bring her back at the time and should limit it to those who are cyborgs. However, there were no male cyborgs, in your case, ten years ago in her family."

As I ran through my theory I noticed Blau looking back and forth at Asakura and myself.

"Um...I'm sorry to interrupt but, do you know who I am?" She asked. "I mean...who I was?" Apparently she has no idea who she was before she died, adding more fuel to my theory. I decided to ignore her and continue with my theory

"Thirdly, it seems that Null Enders is also someone who would want her to not have any memory of himself. Which leads me to suspect that he was at her side when she died and something had happened that he was not proud of and wanted to wipe away forever."

"Even if your theory is true," Asakura interrupted, her hands clenched into fists. "As you can see no one fits into the category."

"Yes, your right...but then Mirage technology came into play...four years ago in your time was it? Six years from now until then where you got your hands on it. It is a long time...people can change a lot in that amount of time. A project to bring back the dead wouldn't pop up unless there was a vital reason to. Like a person extremely valuable to the top brass was suddenly killed."

"Kimura Yuuki!" Asakura's voiced blared in my ears. "Stop this now before you go too far."

"What is he saying Professor Asakura?" Blau asked as she took a few steps back. "My memory was modified? I know I was dead before but...you said it was impossible to bring back all of my memories...and that I was brought back because of my skills...why? Who am I?"

Crap did I go too far?

Asakura walked up to me and gave me a hard punch with her good hand that nearly knocked me over before turning to talk to Blau. "I'm sorry. At the time your master gave me the order to modify both yours and Apfel's memories from when you were alive, essentially turning you two into a blank slate. It is not my place to say anything else..."

"I...I understand..." Blau's hand was over her heart as if she was in pain there. "I see...so that's why he was always..."

She turned around and started muttering to herself as Asakura grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of earshot and started half whispering half shouting at me. "What were you hoping to gain in making her see herself as a replacement for someone who was dead? You do not understand...no...that's not right. You don't know anything that had happened in the three years afterward. Like you said things had changed. Not just people's bodies but their feelings toward others. However, there are somethings that not even death nor memory alteration can ever change!"

"If I don't know then make me understand!" I said as I pulled her arm off of me.

"You may not have seen it here, but Blau was treated less favorably than Apfel by Null Enders. And seeing that you seem to have put the pieces together you should be able to see where I am going with this!"

"Wait...does that mean that other one is..."

"Apfel uses firearms and has been close friends with Blau since the two of them were awoken. Make of that as you will. I had thought you were more sensitive to other people but this is just..."

She was completely frustrated and or disappointed with me and seems to have just given up talking to me as she turned back to Blau.

"I understand that this must be very hard for you to take in right now but we need to keep moving. We shouldn't be out in the open like this unless we want to attract more unwanted attention.

"Right..."Blau said, not making eye contact with either me or Asakura. "Um...can I ask one thing first?"

"Sure."

"Your assistant...1057 was it? Does he have all his memories?"

There was a shot silence before Asakura answered her. "Yes...and he is constantly haunted by his final memories of dying unable to stop his friend from doing something he would regret for the rest of his life."

As she turned around to head down the street, she added, "There are a lot of things that people rather not remember and would be far happier never remembering."

There was a very uncomfortable silence in our group as we made our way through the darkness trying to see if we could find the others and I couldn't help but think it was my fault...no it was my fault.

The silence was killing me. I know it's best if we are quiet in a situation like this but the silence feels cold and overbearing. Although that just may be that we're in a black hell dome where zombies robots and who the hell knows what else is trying to kill us.

I took a quick look behind me towards Blau, who was walking a few meters behind me. She was staring at some kind of hologram. It looks like a picture of some sort. It showed three people standing side by side but everything above their shoulders was corrupted and only static showed. It looks like she was trying to restore it but having a lot of trouble.

I kept my eyes on Blau for too long and ended up running into Asakura who had suddenly stopped.

"Whoa...what is it?" I asked as I regained my balance.

"There's a commotion up ahead," she explained as she looked away from a device on her arm. "Looks like...multiple Hunter units chasing something...and it looks like they're heading..."

An explosion from the building to our left cuts her off and as it collapsed she uttered with a sign of frustration and resignation, "Heading our way..."

Two figures shot out of the smoke and made a beeline towards us...or at least in our direction. They seem a little distracted at the moment.

"What the heck are those things?"

"I think I remember seeing them during that cyborg captain's debriefing! 'Slicers,' I think they were called."

"Great! Remember if it says on how to stop them?"

"Nothing whatsoever!"

"GAH! You are so useless!"

It was Teana and Alex. The two of them were arguing as they were being chased by those zombie-like things...and there were a ton of them...

"So...any surefire way to kill these things?" I asked Asakura, but she wasn't in front of me.

"What are you doing? RUN!"

I turned around to see that she had bolted towards the same direction as the other two with Blau hot on her tails.

"You punks! Don't leave me behind!"

"Huh? Kuro?"

"Yuu-san!"

"Yo, nice to see you're in one piece," I said as I came up to them. "Though I could have done without your friends. I'm no good in crowds."

"Is this really the time for jokes?" Teana asked as she turned her gun in my direction. I jerked my head to the right and her shot hit a M2 behind me.

"There's always a time for jokes! Especially when it's your fault my silent searching ended when you brought these guys with you!"

"Shut up! It's not like we expected to run into you!"

"Um, I really don't think this is the time to be arguing..." Alex insisted.

"Can you hear me, Kimura Yuuki?" Asakura's voice was ringing in my ear. "Head up the street and then make a left turn at the first corner you see. Then keep on..."

"I see...I got it!"

At the point she mentioned I made a hard left away from the others.

"Kuro?"

"Yuu-san! Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about me! You two just keep going straight!"

As per Asakura's predictions, the M-2s turned and ran after me instead of the others.

"If this place was created in order to drain magic power, then the enemies inside would also be used to destroy those with great power as well," she had said.

But wow, this building is huge! How many stairs does a single building need! I took a look at the walls and saw the floor number, fifteen. I must be getting close to the roof by now! Before I could take another step however, the stairs in front of me broke apart as one of the M-2's reared its ugly head from below.

"Damn it, I don't have time for this!" I muttered as I kept going straight. The M-2 screeched at me as I came closer but I used it's head as a step and jumped across to the other side, causing it to slip back down its hole and smash a few of the steps as well.

After a few more flights I managed to get up on the roof and turned around to see them edging their way towards me.

"Sorry, but I'm not on the menu today!" I gave a quick salute and jumped off the side. At the same time a dark blue streak came down from the sky and smashed right through the building, making the plan a success.

The plan was for me to lure in as many of them into the building as I can and for Blau to smash the buildings around it so they would be crushed underneath. As I floated in the air, admiring my handiwork, I heard something screech below me.

It was one of the M-2s...and it was flying! It slammed into me and tried tot take a bite out of my arm. I quickly grabbed its jaws as it wrapped itself around me, tying up my wings as well.

"You piece of...get off of me!" I snapped its neck, took my blade, and proceeded to run it through it's stomach, and upwards across the rest of its body. Although I manged to kill the thing, I was still falling like a rock and was unable to regain control . Well...at the very least I won't die from the fall...it'll just probably hurt very, very, very badly.

"!"

The landing was...not as bad as I expected...I think I landed on someone...

"Yuu-kun?" a kind voice that I've been looking for all day became music to my ears. I looked up and saw Subaru standing there wearing one of those masks on her face.

"Y-yo...how's it going?"I asked with a small wave. "What's up with the mask?"

But before she could answer a dark and very angry voice came from underneath my body, "Get the...hell...off...of me."

I stood up and saw what, or rather who, I had landed on, Null Enders. I quickly backed away from him and towards Subaru with my blade drawn.

"Pretty damn annoying aren't you?" He asked as he dusted himself off.

"Wait Yuu-kun!" Subaru said as she grabbed onto my shoulder. "He's helping us right now."

"Seriously?" I asked her and she nodded. I hesitated for a bit before releasing my sword.

"Onii-chan!" A small voice called out from behind me. I turned around in time for Sakura to jump into my arms.

"Sakura! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked quickly as I patted her down. She simply shook her head as she buried her face in my chest. "Come on now, don't cry."

"I'm not crying!" she insisted as I patted her back.

Subaru came up to us and extended her hand out to me with a smile. I took her hand and she pulled me up to my feet.

"Do you know where everyone else is?" She asked me.

"I got separated from the others a bit over that way," I replied pointing toward the direction I fell from. Turning to Null Enders, I added, "Including your missing member."

"So Blau is still alive, huh? Always the fighter," he mumbled turning to toward the direction I was pointing at. Moments later Blau landed a little ways down from us, but she seems hesitant in coming closer.

"What's the matter? Why are you just standing there?" Null Enders asked as he took a few steps towards her.

"I apologize," Blau said as she stood up straight. At the same time Subaru looked up as well. "My mask was damaged during the initial attack, therefore I am not wearing it right now."

"I see. Subaru Nakajima, I need your mask." Null Enders said as he extended his hand towards Subaru.

Subaru walked up toward him, removed her mask and was about to hand it to Null Enders when she and Blau made eye contact.

"Huh? Is that me?" They asked at the same time. The way they were moving was like watching someone standing in front of a mirror.

"Now, now. We have more important things to worry about right now...don't we Professor Asakura?"

Asakura had somehow managed to get right behind Null Enders without anyone noticing and had her gun aimed at the back of his head.

"Yes...yes we do..." She muttered as her finger closed on the trigger.

* * *

Two people sharing the same mannerisms, appearance, and even voice should not exist at the same. Yet, even now these people continue to strive to live and find a reason to keep on living the second chance they were given. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Raison d'être

* * *

Author's Notes:

So yeah...not sure when the next chapter will be out, but I'm positive it won't take half a year this time...I did lose some will to write when some punk who didn't have the stones to actually sign in decided to leave an anon review complaining how this wasn't his typical Yuri pairings. The whole reason I started writing this fic was because I for one am sick of all the Yuri pairings, no matter how much they "advertised" it in the main series. But that is a different matter. I hope for your continued readership.

Edit: Special thanks to AluciusDawn for noticing some small mistakes.


	18. Raison d'être

Author's Notes:

Once again I apologize for being so damn slow. Apel was actually a typo that kinda stuck with me, her name is actually Apfel. In any case please enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 18: Raison d'être

A single shot rang out in the air and Asakura's gun was sent flying from her hand. At the same time, Blau grabbed Asakura from behind and restrained on the ground and sat on top of her, keep her face held down.

I turned around and saw a group of cyborgs behind Subaru, with the front most one holding a pistol in her hand. If what Asakura said is correct…then this one is…

"Really now," Null Enders said as he crouched down toward Asakura. "Is now really the time to do such a thing?"

"A once in a lifetime chance…and I blew it," Asakura mumbled as she tried to get up but Blau kept her pinned.

"Yes, you sure did," Null Enders replied as he nodded his head. "But I still need you. After all, you've probably already figured out how to escape haven't you?"

Asakura remained silent but it seems that was the answer he needed.

"Aren't you as efficient as ever?" He stood up and motioned for Blau to get off of Asakura as well. Blau complied and walked over to Subaru. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before she took the mask from her hand and placed it on her face and returned to Null Ender's side.

"I think they flew over this way!"

"You better be right! If you lead us into another enemy gathering I'm gonna..."

Alex and Teana were coming down the street but stopped when they saw us. The Titan units held up their rifles but Null Enders held up his hand and they lowered them right away.

"Well now, Teana Lanstar and Alexander Dalton, a pleasure to meet you," Null Enders said with his arms spread out but Teana and Alex kept their guard up.

I waved them over and they slowly walked over toward us.

"Are you two alright?" I asked as they walked up to us.

"Yeah...somehow," Teana said as she rubbed her shoulder.

"TEA!" Subaru brushed past me and nearly bowled Teana over. "You're okay!"

"Hey wait, Subaru?"

"Yuuki-san, I apologize for letting your sister out of my sight..." Alex said quickly as he lowered his head.

"It's fine. She's okay," I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder to show Alex she was unharmed.

"Um..." Sakura was pulling on my sleeve as she stared at something in the sky. "The sky is getting brighter..."

Null Enders, who had been ordering his troops around, jerked around and looked up into the sky, swore, and ran up past us. He positioned himself in front of our group and created a barrier that covered the entire area.

Then there was a blinding flash and a giant light sped toward us. It collided with Null Ender's barrier and kicked up a cloud of dust. I instinctively shielded Sakura as a huge cloud of dust enveloped the area.

I could feel Sakura shaking and holding her ears as she repeated "It's not scary," over and over to herself. I could also hear the others coughing as they tried to make their way out of the dust. What I wouldn't give to have one of those masks right about now.

When the dust cleared I turned around to look at Null Enders. He was on his knees panting heavily. Just past him were several buildings, each with a perfect quarter circle missing as the beam had burned through solid concrete. I do not want to think what would have happened if it had hit us...now I owe Null Enders another one...

Apfel and Blau rushed toward him and helped him to his feet. His breathing was ragged and it sounded like he was in a lot of pain as well. Blau opened her med pack and handed him something that looked like a needle and he jammed it into his chest. He then took a few deep breath and soon his breathing returned to normal.

"Beckman must really want me dead to use a mega cannon like that," He said as he stretched his arms.

"Either way we need to move away from this area," Asakura said as she waved her hand in front of her face to blow away the dust. "He would surely have noticed his attack has failed. We should move before he fires again."

"But before that..." Null Enders reached into Blau's bag and tossed something at Asakura. "Fix your arm up. We can't have the one with the most medical expertise walk around injured."

There was a small silence as she nodded grudgingly and applied the medical gel to herself. I'm amazed at what that supposed cure-all can do. From repairing broken tissue to fixing bones? Just how advanced are these people?

We ended up using an abandoned house for shelter. Asakura was treating the injured Titan in the living room area as best she could but I guess there are some things that miracle gel just can't heal. The other two were on lookout duty to make sure no monsters or machines get the jump on us.

Teana, Subaru, Sakura, and Alex were resting in one of the bedrooms, while Null Enders and his bodyguards took the master bedroom. As for me, I was looking around the cupboards in the kitchen to see if the people that lived here left any food behind. Between being knocked out and being in an area without sunlight, time gets a little funny.

But what really is bothering me is that Blau is actually a reanimated Subaru. Let's think a little bit here. "Blau" means "Blue" in German while "Apfel" I guess can be short for "Apfelsine" which is "Orange." That basically covers their colors doesn't it? If Apfel is Blau's close friend and uses firearms...then does that means she's Teana? Someone who is close enough to the two of them to do something like reanimate them...haha that's crazy. That person was also dead before Null Enders showed up...but considering the circumstances after the death it could be that he was reanimated himself or was it just an elaborate fake? Then...it really is...

"...me?"

"Wha-?"

I turned around and saw Null Enders standing in the hallway with his arms crossed staring at me.

"That looks like the face of someone who has figured something out that he doesn't like," He said. "In any case, did you hear me? I said 'Let's talk.'"

I remained silent as he casually walked up next to me with his hands in his pockets. When he was at my side he took a look around.

"This city is pretty nostalgic...it's where everything went to hell."

"You mean when 'this' showed up?" I asked as I held up my right hand.

"Of course. If it never showed up I and/or we would still be living a peaceful, boring, and meaningless life...though due to some meddler it seems everything managed to turn out good for you...or almost everything."

"If you realize that then why the hell do you see the need to chase us? What good would that do?" I asked as I turned toward him.

"Hmm...I guess you can't understand everything even though we are...well at least I can understand it but..."

He was completely dancing around the subject. I understand and know that I do this often but when I see how annoying it is I'm honestly considering changing my personality a bit.

"You can't change a personality built over nineteen going on twenty years of teasing people," He said with a shrug. "Anyway, since you haven't realized it. I did it to draw out those who would try something as stupid as this." he said as he pointed up at the sky. "Ever since I took power there have been many who want my throne even if I have restored maybe even enhanced the galaxy once ruled by the Bureau."

"But to kill everyone..."

"Stop right there." His voice was dark and stern even through the mask of his. "Don't go bringing something that you have no idea what your talking about. Did Asakura not tell you? I killed Subaru."

I gulped a bit and clenched my hands at my side as he turned his head toward me showing me his golden eyes through the holes in his mask.

"And to make it worst...nothing happened. I killed the woman who at that time meant the world to me, the incident was covered up and her family chooses to forgive me and even had to the heart to ask that I attend her funeral. Like hell I can go there in good faith. I wonder if you would have dealt with the same thing?"

"I...I almost did...for a moment there it felt like something took over and moved my body..."

"Huh...I didn't mention that because it only sounds like an excuse...and you broke out of that despair by yourself?" He asked.

"Despair, huh? Kaa-san just gave me a few good punches and Teana helped screw my head back on."

"Hmm...that's right...it seemed that the missiles were different than the ones I witnessed. The despair of not seeing the corpse is much weaker than seeing a charred black one."

"Are you trying to make me pity you?" I asked.

"Who knows? If you look at the whole picture you can see fate pretty much gave me the shaft and beat me over the head with the 'Screw You' stick over a dozen times. Who would have thought that a single woman's actions can change reality so much."

"Yeah, I'm grateful to her that I don't end up being a murdering asshole like you."

"Probably not a murdering one, but you still are an asshole."

In spite of myself I couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"But because you didn't end up on my path you failed to see the world in a different perspective. To see it from more than your little circle of life."

"What the hell does that supposed to mean?"

"Take Subaru for example." He said as he held up a finger. "If she had died when she was supposed to, would you have been able to control yourself? Would you not have instead kill every last one of those bastards until you had the one responsible in your grasp so you could slowly choke the life out of his body?"

"Yeah...I felt that too when I saw him on the ship..."

"But the difference is that you weren't forced to kill Subaru."

"I can't believe that. I can't believe you couldn't stop yourself from killing her. Didn't you love her as well?"

"Don't you dare consider out circumstances to be the same!" He reached out and grabbed me by the neck. I moved to try and pull his hand off but his grip was tight. "You had information on what would happen and was spared the horrors of seeing the burned remains and ashes of your family and friends! Don't you dare think that I did not consider all the options. You who only had the time limit of your own life compared to mine whose limit were the lives of others!"

"W-what?"

He released me and took a few steps back.

"Never mind. Anything else I'd say would only serve as an excuse. Something that I can't even convince myself of."

"Even so I want to hear it, excuse or not."

He took out something small out of his pocket, opened it for a second and stared at its contents before stuffing it back in.

"Did you not wonder what would have happened if you had not gone to attack the Cyber Knight's fleet and instead sit in the bunker like a mole?"

"I haven't even considered that..."

"After a week of feeling sorry for myself, the city was attacked again and this time they were attacking refugee camps. Subaru was among the attack force, no doubt used to deter me from fighting. However no matter how many times I tried to knock her unconscious she would simply get back up and strike again. And the other M-1s would continue to kill people so long as their commanding officer i.e. Subaru was still alive. What would you have chosen? To kill the masses to save one girl or to kill her to save the masses?"

A cruel sadistic choice...neither choice would leave me feeling like I made the right one.

"I did what I had to," he said as he stared at his hands. "And of all people...the one to thank me was Subaru herself. The one I ran my blade through thanks me with a smile as she died and at the same time gave me the location of the fleet. Then as I was fighting my way across the ships I understood why I made that decision..."

"Why you made that decision?" I repeated.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that you don't have any guesses to this sort of thing. You know there is no such thing as 'love at first sight.' You can't truly know someone enough to fall in love with them in only a few weeks."

I don't like where this is going...

"You get it don't you?" He asked as if reading my mind...though he probably wouldn't have to. "I thought about it seriously for three years after that day and I finally understood. I had never truly loved her for her own person. I loved that someone was able to understand me. It didn't matter who...I didn't care who it was so long as they could understand my pain and help me. It just so happened that Subaru was the first one to come to us with that. If 'she' had came out first everything would probably be different. But basically what I'm asking you is...'Do you really love Subaru Nakajima?'"

"What are you talking about? Of course I do!"

"If you say so but the moment you hesitate in your answer that's the moment where you'll realize its nothing more than a sweet dream. And the sooner you wake up from it the sooner you'll realize that your relationships with another girl is a lot closer than you would like to think."

"Just give me a straight answer damn it."

"Just think about it for a minute. The answer is more than obvious if you think for more than twenty seconds."

The two of stared at each other as I began to realize what he meant. The the kitchen door opened.

"Hey Kuro did you find any-"

Teana had walked in at the worst possible moment.

She pulled her device out and aimed at Null Enders who simply raised his hands up nonchalantly and tilted his head towards me.

I quickly grabbed her gun and pushed it down.

"It's okay. We were just talking."

The last thing we needed is her firing off a shot that may alert the enemy. To be honest, I'm surprised that they haven't found us already.

"Well, try not to make her cry," Null Enders said as he walked out. "Think about what you want."

As soon as Null Enders was out of earshot Teana turned to me, "What were you thinking being alone in the same room as him? He tried to kill you before remember?"

"Things are different now," I said calmly as I fixed my collar. "And I try not to hold grudges against people who severely injure me."

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"Do you have to turn everything into a joke?"

"Only around you. I find great pleasure in bugging you," I replied with a smile as she sighed and put her hand on her forehead.

"I really don't know how I can put up with you all the time," she sighed again.

"Haha...I'm sorry," I said then I added, "For everything."

"What are you saying all of a sudden?" She asked.

"Just felt like saying it. There doesn't seem to be any food left, so I'm gonna head back to the others."

"Okay, I have some things to ask Captain Asakura, so I'll be back in a bit."

I followed her out the door and she turned a different direction toward the front where Asakura was working while I headed further in to the house where Sakura and Subaru were resting in while dwelling on Null Enders's words..

"Yuu-kun?" I looked up and saw Subaru coming out of the door. "It's bad if you don't pay attention to where you are walking."

Immediately I grabbed her and pulled her toward me into a hug.

"W-wait! Why all of a sudden?"

"Sorry, just let me do this for now," I said as I held her tight.

That's right...I don't care about the future or anything else. Right at this moment I know, the one I love the most right now is the one in my arms.

* * *

As the light continues to grow in the center the shadows begin to move closer and closer towards it. Those who continue to fight, fight in hopes of seeing the light again. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: The Creeping Shadows.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well I like how this chapter turned out. I have already planned how this story will end, its all about how I get to the end from here on out. I just need to find a way to buckle down but with all the new anime this season it's pretty hard. I'll try to set a goal and try to release the next chapter in 2 weeks! How unrealistic...

Really? No one said anything about how there was a double type?


	19. The Creeping Shadows

Author's Notes:

Not much to say...except sorry...again...but I'm back at least...with an update. I honestly don't expect anyone to care anymore.

This chapter is once again from Subaru's POV.

* * *

**Chapter 19: The Creeping Shadows**

Everyone had been called to the living room as Asakura-san had came up with a way to escape this prison.

"This is the mission plan..." Asakura-san said as she pointed out the monitors next to her.

"A-a-are you insane?" Tea shouted at Asakura-san after she quickly glanced over her plan.

"Tea...calm down," I said as I held her back.

Null Enders on the other hand was actually laughing.

"Excellent! That's an excellent plan! No, a perfect plan!"

"Given the amount of active combatants, skill level and equipment, this is the only available option," Asakura replied. "Alaric Beckman is employing everything he has in order to hunt down his Null Enders and the M-Types he deployed will attack all magical sources indiscriminately, so the only way to escape would be to use all four Devil Ärms to force him to send the majority of his troops away from his ship, 'The Vile Rage.'"

"The main point of this is how long we can last out there right?" Yuu-kun asked.

"Wait a minute! You're not seriously going to do it?" Tea asked him.

"I don't have a choice. If I go with you guys I'll simply dag half of them to us. If I stay here I'd be luring them to Sakura."

"Oh, you really thought this out didn't you?" Null Enders asked.

"I don't need your praise, I just need to know whether or not you'd try to kill me out there," Yuu-kun replied as he threw him a sharp look.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? Tea asked him.

"Aren't you being overly worried? Or do you think that he can't do the job?"

"What's wrong with worrying about a friend?"

"Worrying about a friend is fine, but right now he is a soldier, and your comrade in arms. Someone who has fought beside you for a year now. You know his strengths, his weaknesses, and his abilities. This is a battlefield and you're asking such a thing."

"I don't need you to speak for me,"Yuu-kun said as he stood up.

"You don't need _who_ to speak for you exactly, Kimura Yuuki?" Null Enders replied as he stood up himself.

"Simmer down you two, save it for the enemy," Asakura-san said as she clapped her hands and stepped in between them. "The two of you should hurry up and get into position."

Null Enders scoffed a bit and walked past Yuu-kun and Asakura-san. "The five of you are to follow Asakura's orders for now. Complete your tasks without fail!" and with that he exited the building.

Yuu-kun followed him but before he went through the door he turned around towards Tea and me. "Don't worry, I can handle those things. Look after Sakura for me, Alex. For some odd reason she really seems to like you."

"R-right..." Alex-kun replied, a little nervous.

"It's not those things I think you should be worried about," Tea said.

"I'll keep that in mind. See ya on the other side."

With that he left the building with a small wave.

"Now then there should be ten minutes before they are found and the first phase begins. You three move into your positions."

The titans nodded at each other and one by one left the room as well. The only ones left were Null Ender's bodyguards, Asakura-san, Tea and myself.

Asakura-san called Apfel over to her in order to instruct her on her part of the mission. Blau, the one that looks like me, just remained where she was standing but I could feel her staring at me through the eyes of her mask.

"Subaru-san?"

"Eh?"

Alex-kun was looking at me with a worried look.

"Sorry, I'm just thinking about stuff," I said.

Right then there was a huge explosion and the whole building began to shake with dust from the ceiling coming down on us.

"This is Recon, Aggro has engaged the enemy!" a voice came from the device on Asakura-san's arm.

She pressed a few buttons and then waved it across her face and multiple monitors appeared. "Acknowledged. You five move out now!" she ordered. "Follow Apfel's instructions while out in the field. Take the items on the table in front of you. Masks for cyborgs, visors for the rest."

"Yes ma'am."

"These items will allow you to keep track on each other no matter how far you are from each other. You can also mark way points and or targets and the others' will be able to see them even through walls. Understood? Then move out!"

"Command received, moving out."

"Understood!"

As the five of us headed out, Sakura-chan came out of the safe room.

"Are you fighting again?" She asked. "Are you going to get hurt?"

I turned to Asakura and she held up two fingers which I take to mean that I have two minutes to talk. I step away from the others and lowered myself a bit so Sakura and I looking eye to eye.

"Don't worry, we'll be okay," I assured her. "Just be a good girl and wait here for us to come back."

"I don't like it..." she replied as she shook her head.

"Come now, don't be selfish..."

"No! Why do I always have to wait? Ever since all of this started happening all I did was wait! I want to help too!"

"Sakura, listen to me. Right now your brother is out there doing all he can to make sure nothing happens to any of us. We need you to wait here so that he knows you are going to be safe."

"Then when I get older, can I fight too?"

"If your mother doesn't mind then sure."

Of course I highly doubt that Aoi-san would let her precious daughter do something like join the TSAB, especially since she is a presumed dead fugitive. She'll probably kill me for even putting such an idea into Sakura-chan's head.

"It's time, you need to go now!" Asakura-san said.

Making our way through the empty streets was simple. The only sounds were that of gunfire and explosion from Yu-kun's group. It was uncomfortable walking right behind someone that looked just like me. I wonder if she feels the same.

Yu-kun and Asakura-san didn't say anything about her. Are they hiding something from me? But should I really be this surprised? I mean...I am a cyborg and there's Nove...

"Can you hear me?" Asakura-san's voice was coming from the mask and I saw a little screen open up on the HUD showing her face.

"Loud and clearn," Apfel said as she held her hand to her ear.

"Good. Follow the path I'm sending to you now. Most of the enemies have been cleared and the rest have no idea you are moving through. Be careful though. If they spot you, your mission will become that much more difficult."

"Roger. Is there anything else?."

"One last thing...I have a message from his majesty. 'Don't die.'"

"Received...let's move out."

Like Asakura-san planned, we met with almost no resistance in the streets. In fact, the most dangerous thing we had to deal with were stray shots from Yu-kun and Null Enders.

"Uwaaaah!" Tea let out a small shriek as she dived toward the ground and a sword wedged itself into the colum she was standing next to seconds before. "That was the fifth one in ten minutes! Where are they aiming at!"

"In a battle situation...one usually forgets about their surroundings especially when fighting a mob alone," Apfel said as Blau helped out of a pile of rubble.

"Now wait a minute! If one of those things hit us then the mission will...!"

"Duck."

"Huh? Ahhh!"

Apfel swept her leg, tripping Tea as a round shattered the stone above her."

"Arguing in a combat situation is dangerous. I will listen to your complaints when we are in a more enclosed area where stray rounds have a less chance of killing us."

I watched Blau bring her hand up to her face and sigh before moving on. The difference between the two of them is pretty big...it amazes me how well they work together though...

After some time, we safely reached what seemed like a large tower extending straight up from a crater near the center of the city. This definitely wasn't something that can be created on this planet.

"There it is," Apfel said. "General Beckman's ship, The Walkway to Dawn."

"He converted his ship into a power generator?" Blau asked.

"No, it's probably more accurate to say it was always a generator," Asakura-san said through the comm. "First off, head inside and hack into the ship's systems. I'll be able to download the schematics and guide you where you need to go."

"Umm, I don't see an opening anywhere," I said looking at the large monstrosity.

"Most Carrier class ships should have a maintenance tunnel near the engine," Blau said as she stood next to me and looked up as well. She then pointed toward one of the verniers on the side. "Over there, approximately two hundred meters from out current location. I'll mark it..."

I looked up and noticed a little diamond in the area where she was pointing at. It was really really high up.

"Any suggestions?" Tea asked.

"Hmm...Blau, do you still have the EMC?"

"Yea ma'am."

"Hand it to Apfel."

Blau handed Apfel a small container about five cm long who loaded it into her weapon.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It is an EMC, an 'Excess Magic Container.' It's a storage device used to remove large amounts of unstable and volatile magic from something, or someone, to be disposed of later. However, it can be used in a way similar to your Cartridge System. Apfel, when you see the signal, fire a cable using the energy from the EMC up to the maintenance hatch. There should be more than enough."

"Wait a minute! What exactly is the signal?" Tea asked.

"Something to mask the energy from her weapon will pass through your position. Fire as soon as it arrives. Five...four...three...two...one..."

As Asakura-san counted down, a deafening explosion rang through the air as a great beam of energy ripped through the sky, grazing the ship and utterly destroying the taller buildings while tearing the roofs off the shorter one. Using this chance, Apfel took aim and shot a long cable up toward the ship and it managed to attach itself close to the hatch. We quickly grabbed a hold of the cable as it pulled us up as the light vanished.

"What the hell was that?" Teana screamed softly as she leaned on the wall for support. "That great big attack just now."

"It was probably his Majesty," Apfel said as she ejected the EMC from her gun. ""Captain, what's next? Captain?"

But instead of Asakura-san's voice all we heard was static.

"The magic energy from the attack seems to be disrupting communications," Apfel noted as she switched off her communicator. "We'll have to do this alone for now."

"Wait Apfel...there's something I want to do first," Blau said quickly, placing her hand on Apfel shoulder.

"Can't it wait?"

"We might not get another chance..."

Blau turned toward me and slowly took off her mask. Again it was really surreal, like looking into a mirror. I stared at the person who had my face. Although due to the length of her hair it's more like looking into Gin-nee's.

"Blau...what are you doing?" Apfel asked grabbing Blau's shoulder and spinning her around so she faced her.

"You want to know about it as much as I do don't you?" Blau asked back. "Who we are, where we came from...everything can be found from these two! His highness and the Captain won't say anything so we might as well get it from them!"

Apfel looked at her partner's face for a moment before turning to Tea and removing her mask as well, revealing a face like Tea's except with golden eyes instead of Tea's blue ones.

"I-I see...I had a feeling it would end up like this," Tea said, with a wry smile. "If she was like Subaru then it wouldn't have been too far of a stretch..."

"Are...are you two familiar with the term 'Mirage?'" Blau asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Asakura-san said that they were cyborgs created by reanimating a dead body using cybernetics or something right?"

"That's the general idea," Apfel said nodding her head. "So far there are only three Mirages. The two of us and the man that is Captain Asakura's bodyguard, Cyborg G1-1057. The two of us awoke at the same time but G1 was already with her at the time."

"G1 seems to have retained all of his memories from before he died based on how he interacts with the Captain...however, the two of us have no recollection whatsoever." Blau explained. "His majesty has refused to answer any questions on the subject and the person who woke us up, Captain Asakura, has been forbidden to tell us anything either."

"What we wanted to know since we were awakened, who we were before we died, why we were awakened as Mirages, and why us."

Tea and I glanced at each other for a second before I nodded to her and she sighed.

"Umm, I don't really know how much we can help you for the second two," I said, scratching the side of my face. "But for the first one, if you really are us, then I guess you are...were...Subaru Nakajima and Teana Lanster."

"From what we learned of what happened in your version of history," Tea began. "Subaru was killed by...a friend of ours in an accident and as for me...it seems like it was a car bombing that specifically targeted me."

Taking in this in this information, Apfel used a holographic device similar to the one Asakura-san uses a lot and began looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Blau asked.

"I'm searching through the old Midchildan logs I dug up. Teana Lanster...born in 0059 of the old Midchildan calender. Parents died early leaving her in the care of her older brother who soon passed away himself...is this right?" Apfel asked.

"Yeah...that's right..."

"Tea..."

Her hand clumped into a fist and was shaking.

"After entering the military, was assigned to Riot Force Six for a year under the command of then Lieutenant Colonel Yagami Hayate, and partnered with Subaru Nakajima and then with one Kurosawa Kuro."

"Oh yeah, he was going under that name back then wasn't he?" I asked.

"Yeah...though I'm still calling him by that name," Tea noted.

"After the attack by the unknown group on non-administrated world #97, takes a year leave and co-habits with Kimura Yuuki on Mid-Childa..."

"Wait wait wait! What was that!"

"What's so surprising?" Blau asked. "Isn't cohabitation between two people normal?"

"Yeah but...with him?"

"I would think that that's the natural occurance," Apfel said. "After all, based on your actions, aren't you infatuated with the man?"

"...Tea?"

"No! No I..."

"You're heart rate and body temperature increases when he is nearby, youu steal glances at him while he is talking with someone else..."

"But he already has Subaru!"

"So?"

To my surprise, it was Blau who said it.

"From what you told us, by that time I...she...we have been dead for over a year. By then he must have either moved on or been relying on you. And it's not like being claimed by another has stopped someone from loving them."

"Tea...is it true?" I asked looking at her. "Do you like Yuu-kun?"

"I...I don't..."

But she couldn't look at me.

"...zzzkth...kkth-an you hear me? Respond!" Asakura's voice broke the awkward silence in the air as Apfel put her mask back on to answer her.

"We're here."

"Good...got this thing working again. Have you gotten into the ship?"

"Yes...but there was some rubble in the tunnel so we loss some time removing it."

Apfel turned toward the empty tunnel before replying.

"Although the two decoys are still running strong, it is still best to hurry. Has the passage been cleared?"

"Yes. We'll begin moving again."

Apfel motioned toward Blau who nodded and the two of them placed their masks back on their faces before turning to us.

"I'm sorry," Apfel said. "It seems we created a problem between the two of you."

"Apfel and I will go on first," Blau said. "In the mean time, you two sort out your feelings then catch up or else there may be an accident later."

The two then walked down the hallway, leaving the two of us alone.

"Tea," I said, not wanting to stay in the silence. "Please answer me honestly. Do you like Yuu-kun?"

"I...don't know..." she said finally, tightening her grip on her arm. "He's kind, strong, reliable, funny, and trustworthy. No matter how what is thrown at him, he always seems to be able to stand up in spite of it."

"So you do..."

"I...guess so...I'm sorry..."

"Did you tell him?"

"No...although there were a few times where I wanted to...but that would have been taking advantage of him while he was emotionally unstable..."

"I see...then that's all there is to it."

"Huh?"

Tea looked at me in shock as I clap my hands together.

"Let's get going before they leave us behind."

"Wait...is that all you're going to say?"

"Yep. Your feelings are your own. It's not like you can help it. Besides, he's pretty cool and kind after all."

"Subaru...sorry..."

"It's okay. Just promise me this."

"Hmm?"

"You have to tell him how you feel."

"Huh? Huh! Wait a minute! I can't do that!

"But it looks like he might return your feelings. Isn't it better to get something like this over with early so we can get everything back to normal? It seems that Yuu-kun wouldn't be against it judging from their records. After that we'll just have to accept what happens won't we?"

"Subaru...okay I understand."

"Okay! Now lets catch up to the other two."

Apfel and Blau were a standing in a hallway outside the maintenance tunnel and quickly put their hands up to tell us to stop. They were standing underneath a security camera across from us. The light on the camera dimmed and Apfel nodded telling us that it was okay to keep moving.

Surprisingly the ship was amazingly empty, like the man didn't expect anyone to actually reach him or he was too focused on Yuu-kun and Null Enders, which was part of the plan but I hope he doesn't overexert himself.

Finally we came across a large metal door.

"This is the place," Blau said trying to access the controls to the side. "Darn it...it's locked to keep anyone but the captain from getting in. It's shielded too so small arms fire won't be able to pierce it."

"We have no choice," Asakura's voice said. "Apfel...shoot it down.

"Understood," Apfel said as Blau tapped y shoulder.

"You two might wanna stand back."

"Shifting to Divine Breaker mode."

Apfel's gun began to glow with a faint light and started to change its shape. At first I thought it was one of those weapons that the other cyborgs used but it seems to be closer to our Devices. The gun changed into two large shoulder mounted cannons that caused her to buckle under its weight.

"Energy lines...connected. Floor anchors deployed and locked..."

As she leaned back, three large stakes dug into the ground as several small panels circled the barrel of the cannon.

"Increase of interior chamber rising at normal levels. Energy Wing is revolving."

As the panels began to spin, an orange light began to form until the whole weapon was bathed in it.

"Firing Starlight Breaker..."

A large beam shout out of both barrels of the canon into the door. The force was so strong that despite being anchored to the floor, was being pushed back, ripping the metal plates off the floor. When the attack was over, the door had been completely blown open.

"Obstruction cleared! Let's move!" Apfel said recalling her anchors and made her way through the door with the rest of us on her tail.

Behind the doors was a large room with a monstrous generator in the middle of it all. Somehow we had to disable this thing...

"Apfel, can you shoot that thing one more time?" Tea asked.

"Don't underestimate me," Apfel said raising her canons again. But before she could deploy the anchors a barrage of gunfire pierced through the humming of the generator as Apfel fell backwards in a pool of blood.

"Apfel!" Blau screamed as she rushed over to shield her partner. I immediately deployed my shield as well to help as Tea tried to help Apfel.

"This is bad...she's bleeding everywhere..."

"There is some medical gel in my satchel use it hurry!" Blau said keeping her shield up as Tea rummaged through looking for it. When she found it the gunfire stopped and a loud laughter was heard instead.

"Was this your grand plan?" The voice asked. "Distracting me with mongrels while letting the rats into the house?"

"Alaric...Beckman..." Blau said through what sounded like gritted teeth.

I followed her gaze to the ledge on top of us. There was a man surrounded by multiple Hunter Drones, with all their guns pointed at us. The man was wearing an emblazoned uniform that indicated he was of a high rank and looked down at us with a sneer on his face.

"Now, now Cyborg," Beckman said waving his finger back and forth as if chastising her. "There's no need to look at me like that. I wouldn't even see what your glare would look like. Oh I wonder how the other one's expression was like, as she was being riddled with bullets."

"You son of a-!" Balu began took a step toward him but was cut off by a shot that narrowly missed her head and she retreated. "Come down here and fight like a man!"

"A man doesn't need to dirty himself to fight a machine. Machines can fight amongst themselves."

As he said this the drones landed down in front of us spinning their gun barrels.

"Farewell, my dear."

"Flame and Earth, spread thy warmth and rise up to defend your children, Mirror Barrier!" The drones began to open fire again as yet another voice reached my ears. As if answering its call, a clear wall similar to glass appeared out of blue flames in front of us, defending us from the onslaught of bullets.

"What's this? Stop! Stop shooting you blasted machines!"

The Drones stopped firing as someone started laughing.

"Hahahaha! Whew, that was such close call, huh ladies?"

At the same time a large sea of bright blue fire enveloped the drones in front of us, turning them into molten metal.

"That voice..." Tea said as she turned around. "Is that you? Edward Kaufman?"

"Yo, Ma'am," he replied, still not showing himself. "Sorry but I'm still alive. It seems the Reaper didn't think I was dead enough...and I did such a cool farewell too."

I looked up and saw him. Edward-san was sitting on a railing to our right a bit higher up than where the other man was standing. He was rocking his legs back and forth with his device, a mage staff, hanging from his feet.

"What are you waiting for! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

The drones turned their weapons and began shooting at Edward-san who simply sat there and smiled before his figure shattered like glass as he laughed again.

"Come now, who the hell would sit in a wide open spot in a room full of murderous death machines commanded by a fool that would try and betray that monster outside? I mean did you not see that attack of his? He fired it in less than five seconds. I'd say it was as powerful as a cruiser's main canon."

With each sentence he spoke another figure of his appeared in a different spot in the room in a different position. Some were lying on the ground with a bored look, some were hanging on pipes, some were leaning on the wall, but all of them were staring down at us. And then they all stood upright at the same time. And then fire began to rain down on the drones from all directions.

I never had a chance to talk much with Edward-san, and all I knew of him was from what Yuu-kun and Tea told me about him, a support/artillery mage along side Tea and Alex-san. But...was he always this powerful?

"How's your friend Ma'am?" His voice was right behind me this time.

Blau and I turned around and saw him standing there with his long blue Barrier Jacket that looked like a trench coat with a chest guard.

"You...how did you..." Tea said, looking dumbfounded.

"I don't even know myself," Edward-san replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Last thing I remembered was passing out in that base then when I came to, I was trapped in this weird pitch black place with no sun, moon, or stars being chased by robots and zombies. Then I saw you guys running toward this giant ship so I tailed you."

"Why didn't you call out to us?" I asked.

"Well...look at yourself," he said holding up a glass shard like a mirror. With it I saw myself wearing the mask that was given to me by Asakura, who until recently was working with the Cyber Knights who had attacked this world. Of course he couldn't have been sure whether or not it was us.

"Who is this?" Blau asked me quickly. "Another Mage?"

"Yes I am. Enforcer Edward Kaufman at your service Miss Ally," He did a little bow before standing upright again. "They're coming."

A single giant Hunter Drone were charging straight toward the wall Edward-san had created with no intentions of stopping. He tried to blast it with another wave of flame but the machine simply blasted through it.

"Get out of the way!" Edward said as he grabbed Apfel off the ground and dived as did the rest of us. The Drones then smashed right through the wall scattering it like leaves in the wind.

"Miss Subaru!" Blau said as she got behind one of the drones.

"Leave it to me!" I said as I got in front of the same one.

The two of us attacked it together and we encountered some kind of field.

"AMF!" Blau exclaimed as we backed off. The drone then revealed some guns in its legs and began shooting at us.

"Don't underestimate a me!" Blau shouted as she took out a small container, another EMC, from her satchel and threw it at the Drone. She then withdrew a gun and shot it.

The container explodes with such force that the drone was thrown onto its side as it was stripped of its shield.

"I don't know what you just did but that seems to have done the trick!" Edward-san said as another wave of fire at it, melting its legs, keeping it from getting back up as Blau and I smashed through its armor and destroyed it.

"Target down!" Blau said as she leapt back and turned around. "Where did that bastard go?"

That man had disappeared from his ledge during the chaos...or so we thought.

"Dogs of the traitor!" A large humanoid figure dropped down shouting in an almost mechanized voice. "You who blindly follow a man that destroyed the galaxy! Die!"

It was that man in a suit similar to the ones Null Ender's Titans wore except the armored parts were silver and the muscle weave was red instead of blue.

"You're the only traitor around here!" Blau declared as she jumped up and tried to punch his face, but he caught her fist, flipped her around, grabbed her by the legs and used her like a club to bat me across the room sending me flying toward Tea and Apfel.

"Subaru! Are you okay?" Tea asked as she helped pry me from the wall.

"S-somehow..." I replied looking up in time to see Edward-san get smacked as well, but he stood his ground and managed to get Blau free.

"Teana...Lanster..."

Tea and I looked at Apfel who was struggling to sit up.

"Wait a minute, those wounds of yours are going to open again!"

"That doesn't matter right now!" Apfel spoke for a moment before coughing violently. "The generator! We need to...destroy the generator!"

"But we don't have the fire power to destroy something that big..." I said looking at the massive cylinder in the middle of the room.

"Maybe...but there is a way...if I really am...a Mirage...of Teana Lanster then you should be able to do it!" Apfel said as she held up her gun which turned into a card similar to Tea's Cross Mirage. "Hold out your device..."

Tea held out Cross Mirage as a small laser shot from the center of Apfel's card onto it. Cross Mirage began to faintly glow before saying. "Data received, Vector Mode available. Vector Mode, standby."

Cross Mirage then began to transform into a weapon larger than its normal forms. Tea had to use both hands to carry it, one holding the trigger that was mounted on its side and the other on the grip on top to steady it.

"Shoot it..." Apfel said raising her hand and pointing toward the generator as if her hand was a gun. "Shoot it...Teana Lanster!"

"Got it!" Tea said turning around and facing the generator as Cross Mirage started to glow and magic circles appeared at its barrel and below Tea's feet. A few cartridges were being ejected onto the ground as well.

"I won't let you!"

The large Titan armor turned around and charged at Tea who didn't falter and continued to aim at the generator.

"Starlight...BREAKEEEEERR!"

The orange beam fired out from Cross Mirage rips through the air as well as through the Titan armor and pierced through the generator.

"Not yet!" Tea said as she changed her firing angle, dragging the beam along the entire generator. And then there was a bright white light followed by complete silence.

When the light died down we found ourselves in the middle of the street with the sun beating down on us in the sky along with the smell of fresh air and sea water.

"Did...did we do it?" I asked.

"More or less, good work," A voice answered me and I turned around to see Null Enders and Yuu-kun on the other side of the street. Null Enders was sitting on top of an overturned mailbox while Yuu-kun was laying sprawled on his back trying to catch his breath. Both of them were a little worse for wear with cuts and bruises all over their faces and their Barrier Armor torn and broken. Even Null Ender's mask was chipped revealing the area around his right eye.

"Kuro! Are you okay?" Tea asked.

"Hahahaha! The sun feels so damn good!" Yuu-kun said as he struggled to stand up. "Where are the others?"

"Onii-chaaaaan!" Sakura-chan's voice came from down the street and I saw her running towards Yuu-kun with Alex-kun and Asakura-san behind them.

As she ran up and hugged her brother, Null Enders stood up and walked over to Apfel and Blau and lowered himself down to talk to Apfel. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"My apologies...I was careless..." Apfel said as Blau helped her to her feet, lending her a shoulder.

"Doesn't matter...good work."

"Umm...can I get a quick recap?" Edward-san asked scratching the back of his head.

"Ed? I thought you were dead!" Yuu-kun said as he stood up.

"I was only mostly dead. The reaper wasn't too happy that he dragged me out and found that out so he dumped me with you guys I guess."

But before we could do anymore reintroductions three Titans came up to Null Enders and threw a fourth one at his feet. It was the man that caused all of this. It seems that he lost an arm when he was hit by Tea and was coughing violently clutching his shoulder.

"Well well well...the failure lies before me," He said softly. "And if you were to just die from your wounds...that would make her a killer so nothing more needs to be said. Die."

Null Enders placed a the tip of his gun on the man's head and quickly ended his life.

"Now that all the pleasantries have been dealt with...Captain Asakura..." All eyes turned to Asakura who stood there silently. "You are to take Apfel onboard your ship for medical treatment, your facilities will be more efficient than my ship's, and then you are to return with us to be commended for assisting us in taking down a traitor."

There was a short silence before Asakura-san replied.

"Understood...is that all...my lord?"

"That is all. It's not like you created your little project to be used for a betrayal of similar proportions hoping that I wouldn't later uncover it and spend the next few years perfecting it to allow two way travel and that little incident in the cage has already been buried under all of your achievements while serving our empire."

He knows. He knows everything that Asakura had planned when she came back to help us. But he's choosing to ignore it?

"Best to leave it like that," Yuu-kun said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "If he's going to play dumb then let him. It's not like he's going to show up ever again. I'm sure of it."

As I placed my hand on his, I could hear something coming toward us from the sky. It was a transport similar to the one that tried to carry us to meet with the TSAB forces in the area.

"Captain!"

Ghost along with half a dozen other soldiers rappelled down from the transport and stood in front of Asakura-san pointing their guns at Null Enders and his Titans who did the same.

"Stand down!" Asakura-san said. "Now is not the time for such things! We have multiple injured here! Get us back to the ship!"

Ghost looked at Asakura-san and then toward Null Enders before putting his weapons down and walking toward Apfel and Blau. He carefully lifted Apfel in his arms as he walked toward the landing transport.

"Nice to see we can all get along," Edward-san said.

"Kaufman..." Alex-kun began but Edward quickly wrapped his arm around Alek-kun's neck.

"Nice to see you again too buddy."

"Now that all of this is taken care of...lets get back to the...oh no..." Null Enders had tried to get his soldiers to leave but someone else had just arrived. The TSAB.

As he was standing in the middle of a crossroad, the TSAB mages managed to surround him perfectly as his soldiers created a small box around him, ready to defend him as a TSAB ship hovered overhead.

"My apologies," a man said walking a past the mage line. "But I can't let someone holding such a powerful Lost Logia walk away like this."

"You...you're..." Null Enders began but the man kept talking.

"I am General Christopher Sanderson of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. IN accordance with our laws you are to turn yourself and all your weapons into our custody."

"That man...I remember the Admiral saying that he's part of the group that's trying to keep these things under control," Yuu-kun said looking at the gloves on his hands.

"This is bad!" Asakura-san said quickly as she turned to Tea. "Tell your troops to get away immediately!"

"Huh? What are you..." Tea began but a crackling laughter cut her off.

"Huhuhuhu...gahahahahahaha!"

Null Enders was clutching his sides as he let out a creepy laugh.

"Are you threatening me? A mere human is threatening me? Emperor of the Neo-Belkan empire? I see! I see! This is an act of aggression against a sovereign of another nation. I see! I see!" As he was ranting the cyborgs around him knelt down so that they were all below his waist.

Seeing this Asakura began to panic even further.

"Everyone get on the transport! G1! Get that bird in the air now!"

Yuu-kun picked Sakura-chan up and we all climbed onto the transport as it took off. Looking down at the people below I could still hear Null Ender's voice.

"And the only proper way to react to an aggression of another nation...is through war...disappear."

At his words a massive ship appeared in the sky, dwarfing the TSAB cruiser floating above us and began open firing on it.

"Evasive manuvers!" Ghost called out to the pilot as the transport began to shake and swerve to avoid the incoming shelling.

"What's going on?" Sakura-chan screamed as she clung onto Yuu-kun.

"Hurry and get back to the ship!" Asakura-san said as she shut the transport doors. She then sat down and put her hands over her face and let out a long sigh. "Haaaah...this is the absolute worst scenario..."

"What do you mean?" Alex-kun asked.

"Your General Sanderson is...or by now...was part of a military project, Devil Containment, which was created as an attempt to control the Devil Ärms currently held by Kimura Yuuki. Based on our history...that group did more than just try to control it, they tried to use its power for themselves. Once they learned that the Logia 'evolves' when its host suffers great emotional distress they began to force it."

"First, they held the host's mother and last surviving family in captivity before she mysteriously dies during a jail break. Second, many people who were close to the host were suddenly murdered during their everyday lives. Third, when attempting to bring their crimes to light, the host is forced into a fixed trial, where they are annulled of their crimes, humiliating and breaking the host. Fourth, they send him on suicide missions and watch as his unit becomes smaller and smaller until he was the only one left. Unfortunately for them, the host was then killed and his body vanishes from custody, only for a large army to come and destroy the TSAB and replace it with an empire...with the host at its head."

As we listened to Asakura-san, all of our heads slowly turned to Yuu-kun who had his eyes closed the entire time.

"Wait...are you guys all telling me...that that crazy psychopath down there...is the boss man?" Edward-san asked. "And what's with this history thing?"

"We'll tell you later Ed," Yuu-kun said as he stroked Sakura-chan's head.

"No! Onii-chan isn't a bad person like that!" Sakura-chan said grabbing onto Yuu-kun's shirt. "He's kind, he's smart, and is strong enough to protect everyone!"

"Haha...thanks..."

"But what is he planning to do?" Tea asked. "Doesn't he only have a single ship?"

"For now...but don't forget that he also perfected my device making it a two-way gate. He could easily pull forces from the future back here. And why wouldn't he? After all, all the people that ruined his life are still alive in this time...well except one...and if he doesn't, what do you think would happen?"

"Sure it would be nice to not have a war," Yuu-kun said softly. "But then if that history is to come true, then everyone's lives here are in danger from corruption in the government which may just lead me to bring about the end of the TSAB all over again, making all of your hard work moot right? But if that's the case...why not just kill me here and now?"

Everyone looked at Asaukra-san who shook her head.

"That is a solution that, while efficient, won't make anyone happy...right?" she asked as she looked from me, to Sakura-chan and then to Tea. "Right...what's the status of the Martyr's Rebellion?"

"It's...it's gone!"

"Then we don't have much time...the Stargazer will assist the TSAB in this war. We need to get you mages back in order to help with its defense. But we will continue our original mission, to prevent the coming of Null Enders. Even if it means killing the men in charge of Project Devil Containment ourselves. Then we need to get Null Enders to pull back...or kill him."

* * *

In order to give others a future, a woman hiding behind a mask continues to selflessly fight by herself carrying the entire world on her shoulders. However, there is something for her to gain as well. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StarS: The Burden She Carries.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'm back and my focus will be to finish this story. I don't know how long it will take but this is slowly heading towards its end.

Having taken quite a long break in between different parts of the chapter, my writing style is all over the place but I hope it wasn't too noticeable. An example of Teana's Vector Mode can be viewed by a link on my profile.


	20. The Burden She Carries

Author's Notes:

Surprise, surprise, an update that doesn't come after half a year! I'm gonna finish this damn it! I'm gonna finish this!

* * *

**Chapter 20: The Burden She Carries**

It was around midnight as I gazed out the window of the Stargazer at the vibrant lights passed by as it moved through the warp. My thoughts were completely focused on Null Enders, my future self. A man blinded by sorrow and hatred of himself for the deaths that were caused simply because he exists…the missiles destroying our hometown, the deaths of his family and earth friends, Subaru's unfortunate death at his hands, Kaa-san's alleged murder in a maximum security prison, Tea's assassination, Ed's death, and finally him killing Alex…

We received a message from Admiral Harlaown that the Neo-Belkan forces have appeared out of nowhere and had begun laying siege on Mid-Childa. No doubt that man wants to cut off the head of the snake right off the bat.

Everyone was killed in that time-line causing him to lose sight of himself to the point of shutting himself off from the rest of reality and even his own humanity. If Asakura hadn't tried to change that future…would I have ended up just like him? Alone…pushing everyone else away…trusting no one…? No…I don't want to end up alone again…

"Kimura Yuuki?"

A voice calls out from behind me. It was Asakura walking towards me. She stops when she is about a meter away from me.

"Is something on your mind? Null Enders perhaps?" she asks.

"Y-yeah," I replied honestly. "I swear…you must be psychic or something if you can keep guessing what I'm thinking…"

"You are simply easy to read. If you don't want anyone to know what you are thinking then simply wear a Mental Anguish and Sympathy Controller (MASC)," she said as she tapped the one on her face.

"Again with that huh?"

"Simply wearing one would not make you the same as Null-sama. You've been wearing a metaphorical one all this time have you not?"

"But I don't want to wear that either. I keep pushing the people close to me away ever since the day…"

"Your little sister, Sakura, was in the accident."

The directness of words cut into my heart like knives.

"That girl has long since forgiven you for that and asks for your forgiveness for screaming at you when she woke up as well," Asakura continues as I looked away from her. "But no matter what it seems the one you can't forgive continues to be yourself."

I was clenching my hands and teeth as she notes everything that bothers me but I am unable to say anything back, as she was absolutely correct.

"If we were to view this situation a bit more extremely we could assume that you have DPD, or Dependent personality disorder," she continued as she opened her terminal. "It is common for patients with this disorder to strain themselves to help others, and many also feel uncomfortable or even helpless when alone…"

"That's enough…I get it," I mumbled as I slammed my hand on the wall. This woman is like a living encyclopedia; she seems to have information to share about any and all subjects. As I turned to look back at her something comes into my mind.

"Tell me again...why did you want to help us?" I asked her.

"To prevent the chain of events that lead to the transformation of Kimura Yuuki to Null Enders…"

"No, that excuse won't work on me. The fact that you are still helping us even though you have already learned that changes made to this timeline would not affect the events that had already happened in your time. There seems to be a more personal matter in this."

Asakura stayed quiet for a moment before she turned her back at me.

"If you want to know then follow me," she replied as she started walking down the hallway and I hurried after her. She led me to the captain's quarters and motioned me to sit down on a chair at her desk.

"You are not incorrect when you said there was a more personal matter within my motives. But they are not ulterior or any of the sort. I simply do not wish to see the events happen again."

"So you are from Earth after all."

"Correct…and I was also a survivor of the bombardment. If you recall, one of the major differences was the fact that the missiles launched were not incendiary ones but ones that simply detonated upon impact, as that was the factor that greatly reduced the damage of the city." As she talked she showed side-by-side images of the scenes of the damage between what I saw on Earth and the one that was supposed to happen. "The incendiary bombs spread at a rapid pace as they were designed to flush out infantry units from forests and such. The one that hit the residential area of the city caused massive damage…especially on my family."

"What do you…? Wha?"

I turned away from the images to look at Asakura, who had her back towards me, and had started to take off the top part of her uniform. I was about to raise a fuss but what I saw silenced me quickly. Burn scars can be seen across the left side of her back and it seemed to reach up to her face. Of course as it was covered by her mask I could not tell if it did reach up there.

"The fires destroyed my home, and my father died shielding me from the flames. However, despite his efforts the flames destroyed some of my nerves in my waist as well as my entire left arm, which is why I use cybernetics. But these are nowhere as advanced as the ones the Combat Cyborgs use or the ones I used on your sister's legs."

As she put her uniform back on I asked a small question.

"Then why did you get them?"

"When I woke up, I was in a camp the TSAB had graciously set up for us. There was a doctor who was taking care of me after saving me with the cybernetics and told me what had happened. I learned that I was unconscious for a week and that everything had ended. With his help I was able to take a look at the remains of the city and just by seeing it I could tell that there was no hope that anyone I knew was still alive. And so, wanting to escape from everything, I left earth with the doctor and traveled with him to Mid-Childa."

"For five years, I lived with the doctor and his family and studied under him. However I kept myself at a distance despite his kind efforts to integrate me into his family. I became afraid of finding myself a family or rather anyone to be close with. Then when I was fourteen I left to pursue my own path and ended up working as a doctor for the TSAB. However as expected of a government ran by those who acted solely on their self interests, my talents were ignored due to my age."

"Asakura...you..." What can I say? I, who still have my family and loved ones can never understand the pain she endured over the years. Nothing I can say will change her pain. Anything I say will be filled with the naivete of someone who's life is still in peace.

"Do you wish to know anything else?" she asked as she turned her back toward me again and took drink from the nearby table.

"Um...what was the general state of the TSAB at the time?"

"The TSAB during this time spread their influence across space using special task force 501 "Shadow", a unit made up of criminals, mostly murderers, led by Kimura Yuuki. Their effectiveness on the field was summed up with their slogan, 'Maximum Carnage, Minimum Casualty.' Their simple deployment was enough to change the tide of a battle in an instant and just as quickly remove themselves from sight."

"These criminals, many of which were given multiple life sentences, were combined and formed into a single military body by Kimura Yuuki, who was revered almost as a deity to those who were more had given up living to the point where they would lay down their lives and take them without any hesitation."

"But all the expansion created a lot of tension within the ranks. Citizens were being ignored as the higher ups searched for personal satisfaction. Only a handful of officers had were interested in matters outside their own careers."

"After Kimura Yuuki was 'killed' the task force was disbanded and its members were separated. Some were sent back to prison, others were integrated into other units and divisions. Then when Kimura Yuuki came back as Null Enders, the units, the 'Shadow' members that were integrated into the army simultaneously revolted and broke out the other members and joined Null Enders. He must have met with them individually at some point or there was a message in his declaration of war that only they understood and realized it was him. Knowing him, it was probably a mixture of both."

"At the very beginning, he sent out a public declaration of war by hijacking all video and radio feeds throughout Bureau Space demanding that the top echelon of the Bureau be delivered to him or else he would destroy the planet Earth with his planet cracker ships."

"Naturally, there was no reason for the Bureau to assist a planet not part of their territory and earth was left to die."

"I see...I guess that's one way to erase your past..." I said nodding my head. I may not like it but I can see the reason. Of course, that's because I feel like I would want to do the same thing.

"Quite. In the end, the earth was obliterated and the Neo-Belkan army advanced toward TSAB headquarters, conquering every planet under its jurisdiction by attacking from two fronts and slowly making their way toward the center of TSAB space."

"I never fully understood that tactic," Asakura admitted as she sighed. "Even though the Empire's army was split in half they continued to dominate all battlegrounds thanks to their technology and near limitless personnel."

"What kind of numbers are we talking about, exactly?" I asked.

"You've noticed that our standard Combat Cyborgs soldiers disappear when they are incapacitated? That is a countermeasure developed to keep our technology from being examined under close detail. Everything from out soldiers to our weapons will destroy themselves under certain conditions."

"Yeah...like your guns exploding in my face..." I remembered when Kaa-san threw me one back home. Nearly lost a few fingers...

"Each of our Combat Cyborg soldiers are based off the same two genetic codes, except for the Titan units, who are actually the remnant of Null Enders's Shadow Unit. Therefore our Yggdrasil Chambers are fine tuned with those two genetic codes, allowing us to instantly replace any soldier lost on the battlefield. This ship contains twenty of such Chambers while the Martyr's Rebellion contains over two thousand."

"It takes around thirty minutes to rebuild a fallen soldier, and about two to three hours to reprogram them to follow commands, like the killing machines they were created to be. New soldiers can also be created without waiting for the old one to die. Therefore a small science frigate like the Stargazer can create around two hundred soldiers in a single day. While a dreadnaught like the Marty's Rebellion can create over twenty thousand."

"And yet, with such a difference in force, the Neo-Belkan Empire made no attempts at sneak attacks or diversions. They simply moved their fleet on a predetermined path, stopping to deploy their troops across the planets to conquer them and then move onto the next one..."

"Planet-side, the Soldat and Kämpfer units wage war using whatever means necessary. Equipped with anti-magic armor and guns with near limitless ammunition, they could handle nearly anything the Bureau threw at them. The only battles that took gave them trouble were ones against your former allies from Riot Force Six. Whenever and wherever they appeared, Titan units were deployed to either rout them or stall them until Null Enders himself arrived onto the battlefield."

"Eventually, Null Enders agreed to a peace treaty with the TSAB. However, at the secret signing, something happened. Perhaps the treaty was a ruse for him to get a clear path to Mid-Childa? Perhaps it was a trap to isolate him from his army. To this day I am still unsure of what exactly transpired there, but it caused him to break off the treaty and directly invade Mid-Childa."

"In the end, he succeeded in his revenge and the top echelon of the TSAB had been killed or removed from power, leaving the army in disarray before surrendering to him. Over the next two years, he began destroying and disassembling all sources of magic, replacing it with our technology. The reason they were able to do it so quickly was due to the sheer number of soldiers available."

"But the war had taken a toll on his altered body. His artificial magical limiters were barely able to handle all the power coming from his body. They were then pushed to the limit over the course of the war resulting in them constantly failing especially when he tries to use magic, forcing him to use drugs to control them. Eventually, I came into his service as an engineer due to my work with cybernetics before the war. There I created the EMC for his use a decent alternative to drugs in his opinion."

"After about a year in his service I gained his trust and became his private physician, accompanying him along quelling multiple insurrections. During one of them, we found Blau and Apfel. Null Enders's reaction upon seeing them was...unpleasant to say the least."

"After disposing of the scientists responsible for the deed, I asked him what he wanted to do with the yet to be activated Blau and Apfel. I had assumed that he would let them rest in peace but instead he asked me to check if they had a pulse or not. I confirmed it and he told me to activate them. Do you understand his reasoning?"

"Hmm...my guess is that the reason he asked for a pulse was whether or not to see if they were technically alive or not. And since they were, he couldn't pull the plug and kill them again."

"I see...that makes a lot of sense. Well, I had no choice but to activate them but not before he ordered me to wipe their memories clean, and start with a clean slate like with all our soldiers. The task itself was simple enough and I activated them after about a week of modifications. Their minds contained nothing except basic emotions and I had them equipped with weapons similar to the ones they used in the past and they were placed as Null Enders's bodyguards with orders to never remove their MASC."

"Over the next five years, their emotions became more and more complex and they began to regain their former personalities, especially when interacting with each other. They also began to obsess over their origins and would often ask me about it. Having been ordered to keep my mouth shut on that matter, I feigned ignorance to their problems and in time Apfel seemed to have dropped the issue altogether and I assumed Blau did as well."

Asakura stood up and started to pace around the room, rubbing her throat as she talked.

"Instead, Blau kept at it and one day while bringing Null Enders his lunch she found a photo on his desk. Apparently it was a photo containing Subaru Nakajima, and Teana Lanster along with a man whose face had been edited out of the image with static. In her shock, Blau removed her own MASC and looked at the image. Unfortunately for her Null Enders came in soon afterward and was furious. Whether it was because she disobeyed orders in taking off her MASC or it was at his own carelessness of leaving the photo out I am not sure but he threw her out of the room, disposed of the photo and ordered me to wipe her memories completely."

Asakura stopped and placed her hands on her desk, staring intently at the wall.

"But...you didn't do it?"

"Right. I found all of this out as I was looking through her memories. It is...unpleasant work...wiping memories. You are essentially destroying a person's identity replacing them with a new one...or in most cases, none at all. Blau had regained much of her emotions and I couldn't kill them again. So I faked it and had her pretend that I had erased it. I even managed to recover the photo for her albeit severely damaged after Null Enders's rampage. I doubt he was fooled for long though, but if he did figure it out, he chose to not mention it among other things...although he did treat Blau harshly from then on."

"In any case, that's enough for the history lesson. I don't have so much free time that I can keep on talking."

"One last question...did you...happen to check up on yourself? I mean, the you from this time."

"Surprisingly enough, I did. That girl is still alive, living more or less happily with her entire family."

"I see...that's good to hear."

Nice to see that she got some kind of personal reward out of this mess.

"Well then I'll be leaving now."

"Be sure to rest up properly...it's going to be a very tough battle."

Closing the door behind me I let out a small sigh. I was feeling a lot more tired that I thought. All that information was pretty heavy to swallow. I guess it's true what they say, the less you know about your enemy, the easier it is to fight. But you can't just turn your eyes away from the facts.

Null Enders is, or rather was me, Kimura Yuuki. He is the result of years of betrayal, depression and despair. I cant even begin to imagine what it must feel like. Friends and family all dead, killing Subaru by accident...Kaa-san, Teana, and Ed killed to advance the growth of the Devil Ärms, then finally killing everyone I know in the TSAB...

If nothing else...I have to prevent any and all of those incidents from happening. I'm sure no one will bat an eye if a few high ranking officers were to, disappear in the midst of a war zone. It's natural after all. If the other two fail then I'll just have to do it myself...

"Onii-chan!"

My dark thoughts vanished instantly as I turned around to see Sakura trotting down the hallway with a smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Hey! Looks like you can walk properly now!" I said kneeling down so she could hug me. "What's up?"

"Otou-san made some food using the kitchen!" she said pulling on my arm. "It's been a long time since we ate good food right?"

"Yeah, you're right...I can't even remember the last time I ate some homemade stuff. Is it just for the family or did he make a lot?"

"Otou-san asked the soldiers if they wanted any but they said no so just for us and Onee-chan and the others too."

"I see, did you get the others yet?"

"I found Alex-kun, Onee-chan, Kasumi-san and Shou-san only. I also found you!"

She gave be another big hug and looked up at me and smiled. Then for some reason her expression became a little sad and she tightened her grip around my neck.

"Hmm? What's wrong."

"Onii-chan really isn't going anywhere right? After this Onii-chan is going to come back home right? You're not going to go away again?"

"Really now, how many times do I have to say it," I said as I placed my hand on her head and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not going to go anywhere."

"Okay...do you remember what's next week?" she asked.

"Next week?" I repeated. I don't even know what day it is today. Between sitting in a bunker, falling in and out of consciousness, waking up in a ship under the sea, and then being trapped in a day-less city, I've lost track of time. "Sorry, a lot of things have happened and I don't even remember today's date."

"Boo...it's going to be my birthday!" she puffed her cheeks, slightly annoyed that I forgot such an important date.

"Oh right..."

"You're going to be there right?"

"You know, it's really annoying if you ask the same question every five seconds," I said as I playfully pulled her cheeks.

"Okay, enough of this back and forth!" A voice behind me said. I turned around and saw Asakura standing there in the doorway to her room. "I can hear the two of you yapping from inside. Shouldn't you be going to look for your fellow mages?"

"Asakura-Onee-san! Thank you again for helping me!" Sakura said bowing at a near ninety degree angle.

"There's no need to thank me. I know how annoying it is not being able to walk on your own two feet. Now run along so I can get back to work."

"Umm...can I ask a question first?"

"Hmm?"

"When is Onee-san's birthday?"

There was a short moment of silence before Asakura cleared her throat.

"Who knows," she said with a shrug. "I haven't celebrated it in ten years and I don't use Earth's calendar anymore. I don't even remember it."

"That's no good!" Sakura suddenly shouted surprising the two of us. "A birthday is supposed to be important to a person! It's supposed to be a happy time for the person and their friends and family!"

From what Asakura had told me, the last ten years of her life were far from happy but Sakura didn't know this and Asakura showed no sign of letting her know otherwise. In fact I feel as though she was smiling softly behind her mask.

"I got it!" Sakura said as she pounded her palm. "You can share my birthday!"

I stared at my sister, dumbfounded at her completely off-the-top suggestion as she had her hands on her hip with a smile saying that she was proud of herself.

"Umm...Sakura? It doesn't quite work that way..."

"Oh, why not?" Asakura said with a small giggle. "It's not like I have any other days to pick. It may not matter to me much, but if you wanna do it then go ahead."

"Yay! Let's go Onii-chan! We gotta find the others."

"That's right run along now, 'Onii-chan.'"

The sarcasm did not escape my ears as I was lead down the hallway by the arm, following Sakura's pace.

Turning the corner, we found Ayumi and Ed talking. And by talking I mean Ayumi had Ed against the wall and she was up against his chest with her legs wrapped around one of his.

"What are they doing?" Sakura asked as she took a step toward them but I grabbed her and pulled her back behind the corner. "What are you...?"

"Shhh, let's wait for a moment," I said as I covered her mouth as the two of us peeked around the corner.

"Well? Have you figured out how you're going to take responsibility?" Ayumi asked as she walked two fingers across Ed's chest. "You made a girl cry you know."

"Well to be fair, I was trapped in a burning base a few kilometers underground...and I had just been shot," Ed said the sweat pouring off his face. "I wasn't exactly in the best position to judge my own behavior."

"Then what should you do to give me back my tears?" Ayumi said placing her hand on his cheek as I began to wonder if I should be letting Sakura see this. "Oh, here's an idea...how about you cry for a bit?"

With that she thrust her knee upward and a pretty audible squeal came from Ed as he doubled over in pain before dropping to the ground, his hands between his legs. Poor guy, I completely understand the pain.

"Umm...does it hurt that much if you get hit there?" Sakura asked looking up at me.

"Yes...oh so very much yes..." I replied slightly doubled over myself. "To a man it hurts more than anything else in the world."

"Hmmm...I'm going to go tell them about dinner.

Yeah, you go ahead while I stay behind and keep watch over my manhood.

"K-Ku...no...Yuuki?"

"Huh?"

I turned around when I heard someone call my name to find Teana standing there.

"Teana? What's up? And what's with 'Yuuki' all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean? It's your name isn't it?" she asked as she walked up to me.

"Well yeah but, don't you usually call me 'Kuro?' What's with the sudden change?"

"No reason...just that it feels strange to be the only one calling you by that name..."

"To be honest I'd prefer if you'd call me by that. Honestly, I'm not too fond of my name, which is why I always ask people to shorten it to 'Yuu' instead. But if you want to call me that, then that's fine as well."

"Ugghhh...that's a bit annoying for some reason...I guess I'll just stick to Kuro," Tea replied, tilting her head to the side before nodding. "I-in any case...there's something I wanted to say to you..."

"Hmm?"

"Do you...do you want to know?"

"Well, sure since you mentioned it..."

"W-well...too bad! I'm not telling you!"

"What the heck?"

"If you want to know then talk to me after we get rid of the problem at hand!"

And with that she turned around and walked toward the kitchen area of the ship.

"Ahahaha...what a way to tell me to stay alive," I mumbled leaning on the wall.

"Was that Teana-san?" I heard Sakura ask from behind me. I turned to see Ayumi drag Ed (who is still visibly in pain) by the leg down the hallway. "Did you tell her?"

"I think she already knows," I said. "Is that everyone?"

"Yep!"

"Then we should hurry along too."

She smiled again and started running down the hall and I couldn't help but smile myself. I never thought I'd see the day that she'd be able to run again...this whole situation is a mess but...I guess it's not all that bad...homes and photos can be replaced much easier than her smile after all...

"Ouch!"

"Be careful..."

It looks like Sakura ran into someone who was turning the corner. The red cloth cyborg helped her to her feet before patting her on the head. Now that I think about it, Blau and Apfel were Mirages made from the bodies of Subaru and Teana without their memories...Ghost was also a Mirage but it seems like he kept his memories. Curious, I decided to ask if he was ever bothered by the fact that the other two Mirages were kept from theirs.

Curious, I asked him about it but he merely shook his head.

"I...don't need memories...to tell me...who or what I am..." he replied. "The other two...wanted something best...left forgotten...if I were to choose...whether or not I wanted...my memories...I would rather...not have them...my memories...are filled with failure...and powerlessness...it is painful...painful to remember...but it drives me...forward...as does my devotion..."

"I'm sorry...it must be hard to speak of something like that..." I said bowing my head.

"No...I enjoy talking...it...it reminds me...of the fun times...before I died..." Ghost placed a hand over his chest and gave a small bow before walking past me.

"Onii-chan...that man...he seems very sad," Sakura said tugging on my hand.

But before I could answer I felt a hand on my shoulder and a familiar voice.

"There you two are," Kaa-san said. "Hurry up, you're the last ones."

While she lead Sakura by the hand, she grabbed me by the back of my collar and dragged me along as I struggled to keep my balance.

The "dinner" ended up to be more akin to a party. I was surprised that Oyaji were able to use so much of their supplies...it's like Asakura doesn't expect to survive...

"What are you doing over here by yourself?"

Subaru was standing in front of me as I looked up at her from my sitting position in the corner of the room.

"Keeping my distance from that," I said pointing to Kaa-san who had her arm wrapped around Alex and was force feeding him a bottle of liquor.

"Uwwaah..."

"Yeah, she's a pretty bad drunk..."

Subaru sat down next to me as we watched Sakura struggle to rescue Alex from the demon drinker.

"Some vacation huh?" I asked her as I stretched my legs out.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Hmm? Wasn't that the whole reason you came to Earth in the first place? Because you were on vacation?"

"...Ah..." Subaru tilted her head in thought for a few minutes before pounding her palm in realization. "I totally forgot about that."

"Haha...well I don't blame you...it has been rough these last couple of days."

"Well it was indeed eventful."

"Wonder what I'm going to do after all of this though...the planet is probably going crazy with the sudden attack from an unknown group that suddenly disappears almost overnight, my city's been utterly destroyed so I won't be able to do things like further my education or even find work..."

"Then how about coming and live with me? I just got my own apartment recently."

"Haha, that doesn't sound half bad...but where is my family going to go? The same goes for Kasumi and the others...I suppose it was just pure luck that their parents won that trip overseas just before everything went to hell."

I let out a small sigh as I watch Alex fall flat on his back as Kaa-san grabbed Teana and continued her drunken flurry.

"Umm...should we go help?" Subaru asked.

"If you wanna take her place then by all means, go right ahead. Me, I'm going to remain out of arm's reach"

"I'll...stay here as well..."

She folded her legs as she rested her head on my shoulder before continuing to talk.

"Hey...what do you think about him? About Null Enders?"

"Honestly...I can see where he is coming from. I don't like it, and I doubt he does either, but I can see why he's doing it. I won't say I understand his feelings completely though. He ended up killing, both directly and indirectly, everyone he ever knew starting with you. Sometimes, I wonder if it would have been better if I never got myself involved in all of this in the first place."

"Don't say that!" Subaru said, placing her hands on my leg. "If you never found got involved we wouldn't have met...and you would still be living away from your family wouldn't you?"

Her voice became softer after the first half of her sentence as she had turned her face away. But she was right. I would still be living in an empty apartment, never coming to terms with my fears...but...

"Do the good things really outweigh the bad ones? How much would it take to drive me over the edge like Null Enders? This isn't some hypothetical situation after all, it's completely possible that I could end up like him. Who knows, it might not be a matter of 'if' but instead, 'when.'"

"That's enough!"

Subaru more or less shouted at me but thanks to the other commotion attracting everyone's attention no one seemed to have noticed us.

"Why do you always think of the worst case scenario when thinking about yourself You are yourself, not Null Enders. Just because he is you doesn't mean the opposite is true. At the same points where he fell into despair you managed to retain enough hope to press onward!"

I looked into her eyes. They were the same ones she looked at me with back then on Mid-Childa. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I leaned back against the wall.

"Your right...I'm sorry. I'm always bothering you like this."

"So long as you understand..."

She returned to my side as we watched my father come out of the kitchen to finally restrain the drunk.

"I think...he's tired," Subaru spoke up suddenly.

"I don't know about that," I said watching my father wrestle the empty bottle out of my mother's hand. "He's put up with her for twenty-three years already."

"I'm not talking about your father," Subaru replied shaking her head. "I'm talking about...Null Enders."

"Really? What makes you say that all of a sudden."

"When we got separated back on your planet...he saved us, Sakura and myself. When we were resting up, he was looking over at Sakura with this feeling of...of longing I think, like he was tired of everything."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I...I think he isn't quite the monster he's trying to make everyone think he is. Even though he started a war...he's trying to keep people from supposedly killing the people around you just for that logia of yours to grow in power...right?"

I wasn't sure how to answer her so I kept silent. Indeed, if the future people were to be believed, those top brass members really would ruin my life just for power and control over me...which would lead me to want to kill them...and the entire TSAB with it, something Asakura is doing her best to prevent.

Certainly killing high ranking officials in a military organization is very difficult, especially in peacetime. But in a war zone, they are forced out of their holes and thrust into command rooms and ships, making them easy picking...

Subaru was looking at me with some concern before speaking again.

"Umm...did I say something weird?"

"Not really but...are you saying that...that you feel sorry for him?"

Subaru pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she stared at the ground in front of her.

"All of his friends and family are in front of him, alive and well, even the ones he hasn't seen in over ten years...and we all think he's an insane tyrant and killer. The whole reason he became what he is was because everyone had died. For everyong you know to completely and utterly hate you...I don't even want to imagine how that must feel."

The conversation I had with Null Enders in the abandoned house came into mind. Hearing his side of the story as well as how other people saw it was enlightening but it also makes it easier to sympathize with them.

"But no matter what...he needs to be stopped..."

"Yes...people that have nothing to do with him are dying after all..."

We didn't say much after that. We just sat together like this for a long time. Eventually I felt her head against my shoulder again, followed by some light snoring. Smiling, I rested my head on hers and slowly dripped off to sleep as well.

I was standing in something that looked like a tent of sorts. There were two people in front of me, one was standing looking at something like a map and the other was kneeling down behind him. Outside I could hear gunfire and explosions but the two of them were not bothered by it. Then the one that was kneeling spoke.

"My lord...what do you mean..."

I recognized the voice. It was Subaru's...but in this case, it's more likely that it is Blau that was speaking...then that makes the other person Null Enders. For some reason, she was wearing her mask, which was on the table next to her/

"You heard me," he said with a low voice. "If you see any of them, you are to surrender yourself and assist them in anyway possible."

"But that would mean abandoning you!" Blau said standing up. "I could never do that! Let me stay and fight!"

"Silence! For once in that miserable existence you call a life, follow my orders!"

Null Enders had wheeled around, walked right up to Blau and looked as if he was about the hit her as she flinched in fear but stopped after raising his hand. He then turned away from her and spoke softly.

"Leave...now..."

He moved toward a chair at the end of the table and sat down with his back toward Blau, who looked close to tears as she left the tent. But before she disappeared from sight she turned one last time to look at him but Null Enders remained ignorant.

Null Enders took out another syringe and stabbed it over his heart as he extracted a dark yet silvery substance out before tossing it to the side. Looking down I noticed several more EMCs scattered across the ground.

Asakura's words from our lesson came back to me. Even though it has barely been a day, the man in front of me was completely different than the one that fought beside me. He seemed weaker, relatively, and much more exhausted, like his body has finally reached its limit...like he was dying.

"A shadow...that's all we have left of each other..." he mumbled.

Then...Null Enders's head moved slightly. He looked to the left, and then to the right before looking straight at the ceiling.

"They're here...he's here..."

And then, his face turned to look right at me.

I didn't have any time to react as the next thing I knew, I was back on the Stargazer, with an alarm blaring in my ears.

"All hands, to your stations. We are entering the combat zone. All non-combat personnel please return to the living quarters. All hands prepare to break past the blockade and prepare for atmospheric entry. All Mages, please report to the bridge for Mission Briefing."

Everyone else seems to have fallen asleep as well since they were either rubbing their eyes or getting up off the floor. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were all drugged...but Oyaji wouldn't do that...would he?

"It's time isn't it?" Subaru asked as she grasped my hand.

"Yeah...we're going to put a stop to this today," I said standing up and helping her to her feet. "And let's have a real date once we get back."

"Huh? Really? I mean...uh...sure..."

"Hey you lovebirds!" Ed called out from the door. "Move your butts! The war isn't going to wait while you flirt!"

"Shut up!" Our response was in perfect unison.

* * *

In hopes of breaking the threads of fate, everyone fights for a better future. However, struggle as they might, some things can never be changed, and history will once again repeat itself and disappear into the light of beginnings. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Stars: Repeated Tragedy

* * *

Author's notes

Actually wanted to wait until I got a few chapters done before posting but...ahh what the heck...will try to get the next chapter out later this week...but no promises...

Super Robot Taisen Z2.1 Hakai-hen is really eating into my time. I mean, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Macross Frontier, Gundam 00, VOTOMS, Shin Mazinger Z, Getter Robo Armageddon all in the same game? It's taking priority over everything I do...

Reviewing will help me focus though, as it lets me know that I'm still being read and whether or not I'm doing a good job. Welp, time to write some battles...


	21. Repeated Tragedy

Author's Notes:

Told you I'd get this out within a week.

Man I had a lot of fun with this chapter...I hope you have just as much fun reading it. Lots of stuff happens here...

* * *

**Chapter 21: Repeated Tragedy**

"The mission is simple," Asakura said displaying multiple monitors in front of everyone. "We will deploy all of you front line mages except for Kimura Yuuki at several areas on the largest battlefield along with a small guard of our Soldat and Kämpfer units. There you are to avoid direct combat as much as possible and attempt to locate Null Enders. After we will deploy Kimura Yuuki at his coordinates and everyone is to rendezvous to work together and take him down."

"So...why exactly are you keeping our strongest fighter from fighting?" Ed asked.

"Precisely because he is the strongest. He has the best chance to take down Null Enders so he needs to be at peak strength." Asakura explained.

"Fair enough."

"We will be deploying two shuttles to get our forces on the ground. Once you confirm Null Enders's location we will drop Kimura Yuuki and 1057 in pods right on top of him. The group closest to the drop site will have to distract the Neo-Belkan forces long enough for them to hit land."

I glanced over at Ghost who simply nodded in understanding of his instructions. I wasn't too keen on being trapped in a metal coffin as I'm dropped a few thousand kilometers onto the planet however...

"Each group will have a small drone tracking their movements so we can confirm Null Enders's location as well as your well being. That is all...please head to your shuttles now."

Everyone stood up and made their way toward the shuttle bay. I patted a sick looking Alex on the back before he left.

"You feeling okay?" I asked.

"I...I think I'm going to vomit..." he breathed.

"Haha...yeah she can be really scary huh?"

"I can hear you two quite clearly," Kaa-san said, causing the two of us to jerk our backs straight.

"I'm sorry!" The two of us replied in unison, not turning around to look at her.

"Well then, for good luck?" I asked holding my fist out.

"Ahh...for good luck," Alex replied punching it before heading out making the only ones left on the bridge beside Asakura's forces were myself and Kaa-san.

"So why exactly did I need to be up here?" she asked Asakura. "Aren't I a non-combatant?"

"We both know that is not the case, Kimura Aoi-san," Asakura replied as she closed the monitors. "Right now we don't need a former fugitive, we need the Ace of Stars."

"Really...you're going to bring that back?" Kaa-san said as she moved her hand over her right palm as if she received a burn.

"Right now the battle in space is going poorly for the TSAB, who have lost control of the planet they were defending and have been forced to fight against a blockade. They need a commander who's skilled in giving orders to an entire Navy. The TSAB has never been in a situation such as this since you were cast from your position twenty-three years ago and none of their admirals have proven themselves to be up to the task."

"What makes you think they'll listen to me though? I'm just a civilian now." She replied coldly. I heard the story from Subaru a while back. Kaa-san used to be a member of the TSAB and an admiral at that, before she was unceremoniously removed from her position. Of course right after she told me she remembered that she wasn't supposed to say anything to me...

"You'd be surprised how many of your former friends and subordinates have been placed in high positions within the navy after your premature removal. Even if the incompetent upper echelon refuses to accept your cooperation, the soldiers on the front line may be much more accepting considering they have made no progress at all."

"You sure are asking a lot of me..."

"I wouldn't if I didn't think you were up to it." Asakura waved her hand and indicated the Captain's chair on the bridge. "A commander requires a suitable position to lead and fight doesn't she?"

"Hmph...I can see that you are not going to let this go...fine then, I'll follow your script," Kaa-san said as she sat down on the chair. She then turned toward me as Asakura began ordering the bridge crew to prepare for when we exit the jump. "Are you surprised?"

"Honestly, I am," I replied as I twirled my finger and a small dagger appeared on top of it, perfectly balanced. "But at least I know where I got all this magical power from. Does this mean Sakura potentially has a lot as well?"

"That is likely...I'm sorry, I wanted you two to have a normal life away from anything magical..."

"Well...there were many things that happened outside of your control..."

"All hands prepare to exit FTL flight!" The Communication officer cut me off as he broadcasted his announcement to the entire ship. The rest of the bridge crew began working on their consoles as well.

"Preparations to tap into TSAB communications complete!"

"AMF drive working at peak effciency!"

"Mass Accelerator weapons, all green!"

"Exiting FTL Flight in 3...2...1...!"

A loud booming sound reached my ears as the scenary in front of me changed from violet and blue streaking lines to massive warships tearing each other apart.

Immediately, TSAB comm chatter could be heard through the panels.

"Hey! Another one just popped up behind us!"

"Damn it! How many ships do these bastards have?"

"Resonance! Moving to intercept new target!"

"Kimura Aoi...whenever you are ready..." Asakura said turning to her.

As the TSAB ships started moving, Kaa-san gripped the arm rest of her chair and took a deep breath before speaking.

"This is the Ace of Stars, the Blue Rose, on board the Frigate, Stargazer to all Time-Space Administration Bureau forces within the combat space. This vessel is not your enemy! We are here to assist in you against the Neo-Belkan Empire!"

As we expected, their was a wave of confusion throughout their forces.

"Huh? Ace of Stars? What the heck is that?"

"Are they allies?"

"Blue Rose...wait a minute...!"

"This is Admiral Chrono Harlaown of the XV class Warship Claudia! What proof do you have to your claims?"

The Admiral's face appeared on a video communication. He looked exhausted.

"Hoh...You're Clyde's boy aren't you? You look just like him..."

"Huh? What are you..."

"Admiral! We're here to help remember?" I said placing my hand on the back of the chair.

"Yuuki? Then this was the ship you were traveling in? But who is..."

"She's...my mother..."

"Hah!"

"Admiral Harlaown!" another voice rang through the comm through the Admiral's side. "You are conversing with a List Z class criminal! You are to apprehend her immediately and turn her in to..."

"Someone cut that line!" the Admiral said as the voice stopped. He then sighed as he looked back up at us. "Blue Rose-san...are you saying your the one who served with my father over two decades ago?"

"From your tone I say you can't simply make a call to check with him..."

"Admiral Harlaown!" another voice came through the monitor. "There's no doubt about it! That's the real Blue Rose!"

"That voice...is that you XO Bradley?"

Another man appeared on the monitor. He had a short beard and a scar across his face but he had a kind smile when he saw Kaa-san.

"It's been a while ma'am...and its Rear Admiral Bradley now...I'm glad to see that you're alive...and with a son?"

"It's been a long twenty three years..."

"I'll bet...Admiral Harlaown! We can trust her! Her tactical forecasts and strategies were top notch back then, and I'm sure we could use all the help we can get...regardless of who its from..."

"Indeed...we're not making any progress as it is...Blue Rose-san...we're counting on you..." the Admiral said.

"Humph...good judgement...but Blue Rose is an old name that's best left forgotten. I on;y used it to get your attention. My name is Kimura Aoi now...remember it."

"Aye ma'am!" The rear admiral said as the communication monitors disappeared and is replaced by a tactical map of the battlefield. And multiple non video communication channels.

"First off, the enemy dreadnought does not contain the enemy commander," Aoi-san said as the map lit up the largest ship on the screen. "The enemy commander, one Null Enders is a man that prefers to do things personally and is planet-side leading the ground invasion. His ship is merely a decoy for the TSAB to focus their efforts in space rather than on the ground."

"Why do you think that?" one of the TSAB commanders asked.

"With a fleet this size," Kaa-sain said as she moved her hand over the map, highlighting all of the ships. "If he had truly wanted to destroy the Time-Space Administration Bureau, he could have just as easily bombarded the planet with their mass based weaponry that is able to pierce through all forms of magical barriers so easily. Therefore, there must be something...or someone...he is looking for on this planet. Taking that into account, being planet-side would expedite his search."

"That's fine and all but we can't even get close to the enemy blockade," another one said followed by a few confirming murmurs of other ones.

"The enemy cruisers are equipped with AMF drivers that are explicitly designed to nullify your magic based weaponry," Asakura said as multiple medium sized ships were lit up on the map. "However, these fields operate at maximum efficiency when covering smaller flotillas, not an entire fleet. Therefore, most cruisers have to stretch their fields as far as possible in order to defend as much of this fleet as possible. Therefore the best way to break through the blockade is to bombard a single section until it collapses."

"With that, this ship will break through and deploy our task force in order to locate and eliminate Null Enders..."

As they continued discussing tactics with the TSAB commanders, Ghost tapped me on the shoulder and led me off the bridge.

"Can I ask a question?" I asked to Ghost. "What's it like inside a drop pod?"

"It...depends," he replied slowly. "Dropping into a quiet zone...is like sky diving...dropping into a battlefield is like...rolling down a rocky mountain...in a barrel..."

"Wish I hadn't asked..."

Those drop pods are seeming more and more like coffins now...

"It's better than the Titans...they don't use pods...they drop with only their armor...and weapons..."

I wonder why there are only three of them left...and that the development of Titans were banned...

Ghost lead me to a long hallway where multiple pods were all ready to be deployed. I chose the one closest to the door and sat inside it. It was...surprisingly comfortable...at least until the door shuts and traps me in I guess.

Suddenly there was audiable explosions and the ship began to shake violently.

"It seems...we have entered the battle..." Ghost said as he pressed a few buttons on his orange device. "Here...for you to keep track...of your comrades..."

Four monitors appeared in front of me and I can see Subaru, Teana, Alex and Ed all getting inside their shuttles. Alex still looks like he was going to throw up any second and Ed was kind enough not to make fun of him and was rubbing his back.

"Can I speak to them through this?" I asked.

"No...these are relayed...through the drones following them...it's a one way video and audio feed..."

"I see..." I replied as I turned to look at the monitors with Subaru and Teana. Nothing against the other two, but I think I'll focus on the girls instead.

"Hey Tea," Subaru said softly. "Did you tell him yet?"

"No," Teana replied. "I decided to tell him after we deal with the immediate crisis first...I'm sorry..."

"No...I think that's fine..."

Did something happen between them? There seems to be some awkward silence...

"We are entering the atmosphere! Landing forces prepare to launch!"

The doors of the shuttles closed as the bay doors open, allowing the two shuttles to leave and enter the planet as our ship descended separately in order to draw as much attention away from them as possible.

The two shuttles managed to touch down and deploy the troops before returning to the ship. I watched as Teana and Subaru split up with their cyborg guard as they searched for Null Enders.

Unfortunately, Teana ran into a group of enemy soldiers right away...

"Taking cover!"

"Unit 03 KIA! Unit 05 and 02 pull out with the Mage!"

"Roger...come on Ma'am! Let's move!"

"Wait that's not...!"

She called out to the two of them two late as one of the soldiers attacking them fired a rocket which landed right between them, killing them both instantly. She recoiled in horror as she pressed her back against the trench they were hiding in and carefully inched upward to see their attackers.

"Of all the things...we had to meet the worst possible enemies..." she muttered. The three remaining Titan units were standing in front of them, firing at the trench without pause. When one of their weapons overheated, another wood start shooting so as to not let the any of the Soldats or Teana return fire.

"Unit 01 down...Remaining units are 04, 06 and the Mage..." one of the Soldats said as he watched the commanding unit burst into flames.

"Any ideas, Mage?" Unit 06 asked.

"One...but I'm not sure how well it will work," Teana replied wincing as a round chipped the dirt next to her head.

"The priority is to find Null Enders...please do not worry about our survival," Unit 04 said. "If you wish for us to be decoys just say the word."

"I won't do that...but I do need you to trust me..."

"Trust or not...we will follow orders."

On the other side, two of the Titans looked at one another before nodding their heads and walked closer to the trench under the cover of the third's minigun. As they were just about to peek over the edge, multiple orange orbs flew out and repeatedly impacted their armor causing them to take a defend themselves as the two Soldats ran out to the left while Teana ran to the right. The two front Titans started open firing on the three but for some reason they were not hitting their target.

"Our bullets aren't hitting? Wait...they're illusions!"

"Shit! Marcus!" The two turned toward the third Titan who had stopped firing to replace his heat sink as the Soldat Unit 04 appeared behind him, having picked up the rocket launcher they were using earlier.

"Beginning counterattack..." he said as he fired the rocket at the Titan, kicking up a cloud of dust. At the same time, Unit 06 uncloaked behind the other two Titans and tossed three grenades at their feet.

"Kaboom..." The following explosion was deafening as Unit 06 instinctively moved his arm up to cover his face, even though he was already wearing a mask. "Excellent work, Mage..."

Teana lowered her Optic Hide spell and grabbed Unit 06's hand as he helped her out of the trench.

"Thank you..." she said softly. "But wasn't that just a bit too easy for ?"

"That's...Unit 04...can you confirm the bodies?"

The two of them looked over at the dust cloud as Unit 04 appeared behind it.

"Hey what's wrong?" Teana asked.

"Unit 04 what are you...shit!" Unit 06 shoved Teana to his right as a loud crack rang through the air. Teana flipped herself over and stared in horror as the two Soldats suddenly had a huge gaping hole in their chests and watched as the two bodies crumbled to the ground before bursting into flames.

"Ahhh...that was close..." a voice came from behind the dust.

"As expected of the original...an excellent tactic..." a woman's voice spoke. "But, you underestimated soldiers who have survived hundreds of battles..."

The dust cleared and all three Titans were still standing, albeit with less armor.

"Hey Julie, you said you always wanted to fight against Apfel didn't you?" the Titan that was holding two daggers said to the one in front that had shot the two Soldats.

"Humph...even though she was a resurrected corpse she had more skill than this one," the Female Titan said. "A greenhorn like yourself should just die like a dog."

Teana rolled to the side as the Titan began to shoot at her. Spotting some wreckage further ahead she broke into a run. She took only a few steps before the bladed Titan cut her off by falling out of the sky with his knife extended. She jumped backward to avoid it as the blade sank into the ground creating a small crater. But the Titan used his other knife to slash at her which Teana blocked it with one of her Dagger Blade and allowed herself to be knocked away before turning the other gun to shoot at the Female Titan who dodged it with no problem.

"Hey Mage!" the bladed one called out to her as he removed his weapon from the dirt. "Don't forget that there are three of us here!"

Teana quickly rolled to her feet as the Mini-gun Titan started firing at her again. She quickly moved herself so that the Female Titan in the line of fire so there was a break in the spread as the Blade Titan moved to attack again.

"Like I said! There are three of us!"

He swung down with his two knives and Teana was forced to block with both Dagger Blades. The Female Titan rushed forward and took aim and fired at Teana without regards to her ally. Teana had to jump back to avoid the shot but the Bladed Titan simply rushed forward and managed to stab her in the arm.

"Nngh...gah!" Teana groaned in pain as the Titan withdrew his blade and kicked her in the stomach and then a round from the minigun nicked her leg, causing her to hit the ground hard and roll to a stop against a stone.

"For someone who Julie said was unskilled, you sure lasted a long time..." the Bladed Titan said as he walked up to her. When he got up to her he looked down for a second before sighing. "Hey...it's another fake."

He turned his back toward the Teana on the ground as it vanished.

"Look around, she couldn't have gotten far with the hit she took to her leg and she's bound to have left a blood trail," the Female Titan said.

Teana had hidden herself behind a large stone and was desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Hah...hah...it's...just like...that one time...but there's no Kuro or Vice...to help this time...I can do this..." she said to herself as several orange orbs began to form around her.

"Magical Energy detected...she's over there..." The Female Titan said as all three of them turned to look at the stone Teana was behind.

"Fifty credits she uses the damn illusions again," the Bladed Titan said. And no sooner than he did, three Teanas popped out from behind the rock, two of them flanked left and right while the third charged right at them. "Feh! You're still behind the damn rock!"

The Bladed Titan ran right through the illusion that was coming down the middle with the Female Titan right on his heels. The Bladed Titan jumps on the rock with his daggers out ready to strike but instead an orange glow appears and forces itself into his neck.

"Adler!" The Female Titan screamed as she went around the rock and fired at Teana. The slug hits its target and Teana cracked like glass. "Illusion?"

But she realized it too late as Teana reappeared on top of her.

"Phantom...Blazeeerrr!"

A crack in the air as the orange bullet flew right into the Titan's face and her body crumbled. The last remaining Titan had tried to shoot at Teana the moment she rematerialized but the two Teana illusions that had flanked them earlier were actually Teana's Crossfire Shoot, and the attack slammed into his gun, causing it to explode, along with his arms that were holding it. The Titan fell onto his knees in pain, his arms reduced to stumps at his elbows.

Teana slowly made her way up to the Titan, her device aimed at his head. The Titan looked up and began to speak for the first time.

"It seems...we were the ones who underestimated you..." he said softly.

"It's over...turn yourselves in..." Teana said, still trying to catch her breath, but the Titan merely shook his head. "Your comrades are down and you've lost both of your arms...there's no way you can continue fighting...surrender!"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't..." he said. "Did the professor not tell you? All of us Titans were condemned criminals...Adler was a mass murder...Juliana was a bomber...and I massacred civilians after I was discharged from the TSAB ground forces...all of us...were sentence to rot in prison for the rest of our lives...but he gave us an outlet...sure we would all die eventually, but we would die on our own terms, and not before massacring the enemy in front of us. And in the end...we were all massacred ourselves...on that damn planet...and even then he still tried to save us...by putting us all in this armor. We are all dead men walking...only now...can we find peace..."

The Titan suddenly erupted in flames along with the other two unconscious ones. The Titan's mask fell off, revealing a very tired and scarred face, but he was smiling, as if he felt no pain from the fire burning him.

"Our supplies is just a few meters south of here...from there if you go thirty kilometers west, you'll find the main camp..."

"I...I don't..."

"Don't apologize...we are criminals and traitors...this was our end from the very beginning...but...it isn't so bad...to lose to you...he always...had...so much love...for...y..."

The Titans last words disappeared along with his body. Reduced to ash along with the technology that created him.

Teana knelt down beside the ash pile and found a piece of silver that wasn't burned away with the rest of the body. Engraved on it was "O. Lee," the Titan's tags.

"Thank you...and...sorry..."

Placing the tags in her pocket she followed the directions he had given her, not looking back at the piles of ash as they were blown away in the wind.

Subaru was gliding across the barren battlefield littered with bodies of TSAB mages. She did her best not to look at them but there were so many bodies wherever she looked, and the further the traveled the more bodies that were found. Unfortunately that mean they were going the right way. The cyborgs following her remained unaffected by the sight as they silently kept up with her pace.

Then in front of them they saw her, the one that was responsible for the slaughter.

Defender Blau stood on top of a hill, her body bathing in almost a pool of blood. She turned around when she heard their footsteps, looking at them through the eyes of her mask.

The Soldats immediately took up formation and aimed at her but they didn't fire as Blau spoke.

"Miss...Subaru...Nakajima," she said slowly, stressing each word as if trying to find some hidden meaning in it.

"Blau-san...stop this!" Subaru called out to her. "This isn't right! There is no reason for this war!"

"Right or wrong doesn't matter," Blau said shaking her head and removing her mask. "My morality lies with my king as does my devotion. My weapon fights whatever it is pointed at...but I am not a doll! I fight for him because it is my choice! And so my choice...is to continue to fight for his sake...regardless of my orders. "I'll kill anyone who stands in his way!"

At this the Soldats began shooting at the Defender, activated her protection barrier as well as her copy of Wing Road. She used the wing road to blow past the Soldats, separating the squad before doubling back and delivering a powerful kick to one of the Soldat's face, shattering his mask and quite possibly his skull as he fell like a brick and erupted in flames.

Subaru sprung into action activating her own Wing Road in order to cut off Blau's second attack run.

The two of them began spiraling upward as they occasionally collided with each other. It was if they were jousting in the air.

"Take her down!"

"Watch for the Mage!"

"They look the same, which one do we shoot?"

"Shoot the one trying to kill us!"

The Soldats were unable to decide whether or not they should attempt to assist. From a distance both Cyborgs looked alike and both used the same fighting style and their magical power was near identical rendering all identifiers useless. They didn't have long to think as the fighting had attracted a Neo-Belkan patrol.

But the appearance of the patrol went unnoticed to the two cyborgs as they continue to duel. However, only small testing blows have been thrown as neither cyborg has found an opening wide enough to throw a punch meant to actually cause damage.

"You said this was going against orders!" Subaru said as the two of them collided once more, both of their knuckles locking each other in place. "What exactly were you talking about?"

"He told me to surrender," Blau said pulling back and throwing a kick at Subaru who was unable to block it in time and was thrown off her Wing Road and quickly reformed it as Blau charged her again. "He told me to surrender to you and abandon him. How can I ever do that?"

She pulled out a small blue container and loaded it into her Knuckle which loaded it in and a bright blue flame burst out of the back, followed by a blue orb forming in front of it.

"So if I kill you all...I won't have to follow my orders...I can stay beside him..."

"_Large magical energy detected. Begin evasive maneuvers."_

"Divine...Busteeer!"

The dark blue beam of magical energy rips across the sky just barely missing Subaru as it crashes onto the earth, tearing the landscape asunder, along with the Neo-Belkan Patrol unit.

"No regards to allies?" Subaru asked as she steadied herself. Looking back up at Blau. Her knuckle was glowing a bright red before it ejected the EMC and began to vent out the heat, shrouding her in steam and smoke, her yellow eyes remained lit up within the smoke.

She then broke out of her cover straight for Subaru who threw a punch at Blau's knuckle. The two devices collided and at first the exchange seemed to be a stalemate, but Subaru's arm was pushed back with such force that she was thrown off her feet, leaving her wide open for a Divine Buster to her stomach, which she barely blocked with a quick Protection spell. The defensive spell seems to have taken the brunt of the damage but Subaru was still thrown back, clutching her stomach and obviously in a lot of pain.

She wasn't the only one though. Blau's arm was dangling almost limp by her side as her device ejected another EMC from its chamber as she loaded another one in. The amount of energy stored in a single EMC would probably be equal to that of fifty cartridges, and she just used two of them, one after the other.

But even so, she proceeds to load yet another one in and it began to glow with the same magical energy as before.

"I...must protect him...even if it's...against orders...I must protect him!" Blau slowly raised her arm and entered a fighting stance and once again charged at Subaru, who barely had anytime to defend herself. The dangerously overcharged Blau was proving more than Subaru could handle alone. Subaru's Protection barriers were shattered after a single hit, but it looks like she was trying to use them for a split second window to dodge the punch rather than to try and block it.

But she could only dodge for so long as one of Blaus punches finally connected. Blau followed up with an uppercut with her right hand before spiking Subaru down onto the ground, forming a small crater.

"Hah...hah...hah...almost...almost there..." Blau panted as she ejected the EMC and loaded another one in. "Just a little longer...just a little longer...my Typhoon Knuckle...with this...it will be impossible for me to surrender..."

Taking one final deep breath, Blau jumped off her version of Wing Road and let gravity pull her down towards Subaru, pulling her arm back, she throws a blue coated punch at Subaru's unconscious body...completely forgetting that Subaru wasn't her only enemy on the battlefield.

The sound of tearing flesh, bone, and metal can be heard followed by dripping fluid.

One of the cyborgs sent to accompany Subaru had thrown herself in the way, catching Blau's fist through her chest, even though she had tried to stop it with her weapon, which had been shattered like glass trying to stop a train.

"You...you damn...!" Blu began as she quickly used her free arm to block a hail of bullets coming from the Soldats.

"Take her down!"

"Don't let the commander's sacrifice go to waste!"

The Soldats began to fan out as they closed in on Blau, trying to find an opening in her shield.

"You...you damned traitors...!"

"The objective...the Mage...must be protected..." the Kämpfer unit was using all her strength to stay awake to keep the auto-immolation sequence to activate, and to hold Blau in place so the Soldats could shoot her.

"You...you damned dolls!" Blau lifted the Kämpfer up and placed her body in between Blau and the Soldats, using her as a shield. But the Soldats didn't stop shooting, ignoring their squad leader in an attempt to take down the Defender.

"You damned dolls!" Blau screamed again as she used her free hand to pull out her pistol and shoot the Kämpfer right between the eyes to start the auto-immolation sequence, allowing her to pull her knuckle out of the body.

Turning back toward the Soldats, she saw that they had surrounded her, each of them holding a weapon similar to a grenade launger, which they all fired at the same time. But instead of exploding, the rockets landed around her, popping up smoke instead.

"Smoke grenades? What are they...oh no!" Turning around, she saw that Subaru had disappeared. Hearing the sound of metal grinding, she quickly jumped as multiple Wing Roads appeared and collided below her.

"Multiple entry points...this was their plan the whole time?" Blau asked rhetorically as her eyes darted around at the multiple paths. "But...when you fight with someone using the same style..."

Hearing the grinding sound directly behind her, Blau turned around, a blue orb in her hand, and fired the beam through the smoke, hitting something, and exploding with a cloud of dust. But the grinding sound was still there.

Finally the source popped out of the smoke and dust revealing...Mach Calibur alone grinding on the Wing Road.

"..._it is simple to come up with countermeasures_..." Mach Calibur said as a blue glow came from behind Blau's head. "_Right?_"

"Oscillating..." Subaru began her spell as Blau tried to turn around, the look on her face became one of absolute horror. "BREAKEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

Blau had tried to stop Subaru's attack with her Knuckle and a barrier, but Subaru's IS punched through the barrier, destroyed Blau's Knuckle as well as a good part of her arm, and Blau was sent flying within the blue light.

As she finished her attack, Subaru fell toward the ground exhausted as two Soldats came up and helped her to her feet and treat her, while the rest of them were restraining Blau.

The Defender was still conscious, despite having her arm shattered with large parts of skin torn off. The Soldats were unsympathetic as they clamped a heavy collar and head band on her as well as handcuffing her hands.

"What...are you doing?" Subaru asked the two Soldats, as they sat her down on a rock and began applying the medical gel on her wounds.

"We are making sure she is unable to use her abilities...IS or otherwise," one of them replied. "The Captain wanted her alive, but we need to bind her or else we would lose more people. Here you go..."

As the Soldat handed Subaru back Mach Calibur, Subaru looked like she was saying something back, but her voice was being drowned out by something much closer.

"Null Enders's position confirmed at coordinates X94 Y78! 1057 and Kimura Yuuki, prepare to drop! I repeat! Null Enders's..."

I pulled my eyes away from the monitor as I tired to get settle into the drop pod as Ghost assisted me from outside.

"Are you...prepared?" he asked with his hand over the door.

"Does it matter?" I asked, my throat feeling as dry as a desert.

Ghost merely shook his head as he closed the hatch and got into his own pod across from me and a small monitor in front of me turned on showing Ghost inside his pod.

"Pods 01 and 05 are active! Calculating trajectory!"

"Launch timing given to pods. Whenever you're ready!"

Ghost gave me a small salute from the monitor as he slammed a button to his right, and within a few seconds his pod disappeared from the window in front of me.

I turned to my right and saw the same button and I slammed it with the bottom of my fist.

The window closed and the pod became dark before lighting back up. For a second I thought the pod had disappeared but I was still in the chair. It seems like the pod was built with a 360 degree monitor allowing the one inside to see everything around...wait...

"Oh...CRAAAAAAAA-"

But the rest of my scream was drowned by a loud hissing noise followed by an explosion as the pod detached and launched itself from the ship. I probably tried to shout multiple profanities as I watched myself fall through the open sky as multiple ground to air turrets were shooting up at me.

A small blip on the screen highlighted Ghost's pod as well a the landing zone. Gripping the two control sticks by my hands I tried to get the pod to follow Ghost's, but between the nervousness I had about fighting Null Enders, the feeling of vertigo and dropping a few dozen kilometers, add on to the fact that bad things were exploding and hitting on the outside my pod...I was all but ready to pass out.

Finally, I could see the ground below my feet and braced myself for the impact of the landing. When the final dull clank rang in my ears, I heaved a long sigh as I looked up at the screens in front of me.

"Huh? Why is the grass...oh no...!"

I quickly grabbed the side of my chair as the pod began to lean backwards and start rolling down the hill it had landed on for about twenty seconds before finally stopping when it hit a rock, killing the power inside the pod.

"Oi...are you alive?" Ghost's voice came in from outside the pod as well as some banging. Now, I'm feeling pretty pissed.

"Yes I'm alive! No thank to this piece of-"

"It seems that...the landing gear was damaged...during the descent..." Ghost said ignoring me. "The hatch is...against the ground as well..."

"You know what? Screw it! Step away from the metal deathtrap!" I shouted out toward him. Giving him about thirty seconds to get out of the way, I turned to my left and blew open the side of the pod. "There...that should...huh?"

But for some reason the pod began to tilt again.

"I destroyed the rock didn't I?" I asked as the pod rolled down for a bit before stopping suddenly.

"You did..." Ghost said.

Taking this chance, I crawled out of the pod and looked around to see, Ghost holding the pod steady. He released it when he saw that I had successfully gotten out.

The surroundings were much more horrible in person than a video feed. The sky was a dark gray with smoke rising all over the landscape. I could hear screaming and explosions all throughout the landscape.

"Null Enders is sure...to have noticed us..." Ghost said, helping me to my feet. "We should hurry...before he decides to...relocate..."

"And the others?" I asked, remembering how bad of a shape Teana and Subaru were in.

"They have been notified...and TSAB reinforcements are...heading to their positions. After that...they will engage...Null Enders's main camp."

"Right...let's get there first and make their job a bit easier!" I said pumping my arm.

"By your will..."

Ghost turned around and broke into a run and I followed suit and within ten minutes he found the camp. The area inside the camp was an amazing contrast to the dark and barren lands that Teana and Subaru had to traverse. It was still somewhat luscious and green...it's a shame this battle is going to change all of that.

"How shall we proceed?" Ghost asked.

"Louder, the better," I replied standing up straight. "The more we can get their attention on us, the easier it will be for the TSAB forces to attack."

"But...if you fail to reach...Null Enders...it will all be...for nothing..."

"If taking a few more injuries means less people will die...so be it!"

My spear formed in my hand as I flew off toward the camp, ignoring Ghost's audible sigh. But when I took a look back, he had already disappeared, no doubt planning to strike from the shadows.

It's strange...I'm in the middle of a warzone fighting for my life and the life of every living thing on this planet...yet I don't have a care in the world. The nervousness I had before vanished amongst the gunfire replaced with a sense of...elation? Nostalgia?

It was a feeling I haven't felt before, not even while fighting during the JS Incident. Is this the true feeling of war? The horrible, scary thing that humans can't pull themselves away from, the thing people lose their lives and innocence in...and I'm feeling elated to be fighting? Are these my emotions? Or something buried deep with the Devil Ärms?

Compared to the Hunters and Slicers, the rank and file Soldats and Kämpfers were easy to take down, but I still get a bad taste in my mouth when I see them vanish, even though I'm not the one directly killing them. The first and last person I'll kill...is myself...

And then...I saw him.

Null Enders had walked out of the tent I saw in my "dream," his Barrier Armor and blades equipped, he was fully prepared to fight.

"How was the ride down?" he asked, spinning one of his swords in his hand as the two of us started circling each other. "It's scary isn't it? Dropping onto a planet?"

The Neo-Belkan cyborgs were watching us, but no one interfered.

"It was like riding Supreme Scream." I replied, slowly inching closer to him, my hands tightening around my spear. "Can't you just give up? We'll hand the rest."

"If you want something done, you have to do it yourself," he said, shaking his head. "Asakura may be efficient but she's still weighed down by her emotions..."

"It's not like you're completely free of them either."

"..."

I could feel him staring a hole in my chest through his silence. Then there was a flash as I quickly jerked my spear upward.

A dull clang reached my ears as well as a numbing feeling in my arms as I see a sword sticking out of the spear. Null Enders had thrown it with a flick of his wrist, barely moving any other part of his body. Perhaps getting mad isn't something I wanna do...

Then he lunged forward, swinging his remaining blade downward. Splitting my spear into two blades, I held them in an "X" position above my head to block the blow. There was an unbelievable amount of force behind the attack. I could feel my feet sink into the dirt before I manged to throw him off.

The sword that was stuck in my spear started to drop but Null Enders grabbed it with his right hand and stabbed at me. I parried it by pushing hard with my right hand to keep his other sword locked and spinning the sword in my left hand to knock his sword away. But he was too fast and I was still cut in my side.

Null Enders jumped back away from me, balancing some of my blood on his blade.

"First blood," he sneered pointing his sword at me.

"First blood isn't as important as last blood!" I retorted charging forward. Meeting Null Enders head on. Streaks of black and white ripped through the air between us, marred only by the glow of the red sparks, the sounds of metal clashing and the flow of blood through the air.

Thankfully it wasn't all mine like I feared it would be. I should count myself lucky that Null Enders isn't at his full strength due to his deteriorating body. How much power did this man wield at his prime if he's fighting me to a standstill right now?

"It's not that I'm strong...it's that you are just too weak!"

He swung his blade wide which I tried to block with both of my swords, but the force knocked me off my feet and into a nearby tent, collapsing it. Luckily it was just cloth and poles rather than a steel bunker.

With a quick burst of magic energy, I tore the cloth off me and charged at him again. This time I managed to clip his shoulder.

"Too soft!"

He grabbed me with his uninjured arm and flipped me over his shoulder onto the ground as his arm glowed orange and his shoulder wound began to close up.

"_Report: Medigel dispensed. Injury has been closed, combat efficiency..."_

"Irrelevant! Refrain from future status reports!"

"_Order acknowledged."_

"Where is your conviction? Aim for the vitals!"

He rotated his healed arm, as if to see if it still could move, before picking up his dropped swords and swinging at me again.

"Steel yourself to your purpose! Don't think about anything or anyone else! Focus only on the enemy in front of you! Then strike without hesitation! Strike with courage! Strike with resolve!"

It was all I could do to defend against him. He had the time to talk as he beat down upon me with his flurry of attacks.

"What's wrong? Your blade is weak!"

A strong kick to my stomach knocks the wind out of me and knocks me off my feet again as well.

"Of course...you have no conviction. This planet so faraway from Earth had always felt like a dream to you. What's the point of saving such a planet?"

"But then...there's still something...important to us here...right?" I asked, using my sword to prop myself back onto my feet. Null Enders stopped moving and lowered his sword, looking at me, waiting for me to continue. "It's because it's their home...their planet...their lives...they are the things connecting us to this planet."

"And now that you have realized that...are you ready to continue?"

"Yeah...Devil Ärms! Lord Form!"

"_Yes, my lord!"_

"Devil Ärms! Meister Form!"

"_Yes, Your Majesty!"_

At the same time, our Barrier Armor morphed into their winged forms, clouding myself in a black cloak and Null Enders in a white one, his eyes glowing through the slits in his mask an even brighter yellow than they have before.

"This is a true battle between Mages! Prepare yourself! Kimura Yuuki!"

"Null Enders! I'm going to stop you! Right here! Right now!"

Stretching my wings out, I feel the magical energy inside me rising. Using the momentum, I charged toward him with my spear. He swings his swords to deflect my thrust.. Two more thrusts. Three. Five. Seven. Each of them parried with such speed and skill I almost couldn't believe it. But each time I got closer and closer.

Of course the true value of the Devil Ärms is more than just the large magical power it grants the owner, but also the adaptability in combat. Changing from thrusts into a sweep, I force him to jump to avoid my attack, followed by an upward swing. Had this been a fight between normal soldiers, that attack would ave done considerable damage.

However, this is a battle between Mages who can fight in the sky and on the earth.

He simply avoided my attack by flapping his wings and flying backwards, but that wasn't all I had planned. I threw my spear at him like a javelin with as much force as I could put into it without falling over myself.

Since he flew backwards with a quick burst of speed, he would have trouble changing direction, forcing him to parry or deflect the spear. He chose to deflect it, sending it spinning upwards into the air where I caught it and swung down toward Null Enders again.

He raised his swords up to block but just before we made contact, I switched to my gauntlet, falling past him and the instant my feet touched the ground, it became a sword and I thrust upward toward toward his mask.

He rotated his body around my arm to avoid the attack and tried to kick me in the face but I threw up a barrier to stop it and jumped backwards. But looks like he wasn't done yet.

"Endless Void!" In contrast to his white Armor, a large black sphere was forming into his hand. "Disappear into void of the universe!"

The sphere shot from his hand like a bullet and flew toward me. I could feel my hands, or rather the Devil Ärms, shake warning me to not get hit by it at all costs, so blocking was out of the question as was simply sidestepping it. So I had to use wings and give myself a speed boost and rush to the left.

As the sphere past by me, I could feel it pulling me towards it as if it had its own gravitational field. In fact when it finally stopped, the sphere imploded, dragging in large amounts of the earth with it...

"A mini black hole?"

"_Warning: Second volley, inbound! Recommend: Shadow Step."_

"Don't just recommend it do it for me!" I shouted as I barely avoided another one by jumping into my shadow and popping out under the fallen tent again.

"_Warning: Target to the rear!"_

"Damn it!"

"Too slow!"

A sharp pain reached my back and out my front. Grabbing the edge I uttered out the word, "Dispel" to destroy it and jumped away from Null Enders, who was holding up the handle of the destroyed sword with feigned interest.

"_Diagnostic: No vital organs damaged. Now attempting to close wound. Combat efficiency reduced to 75%. Able to continue battle."_

"It hasn't talked all this time...but as soon as I step back on this planet it's been shooting its...uh...whatever...off."

"Hmm...that's strange," Null Enders muttered to himself a he placed his hand on the broken edge. "I missed the vitals...I could have sworn...there was one there_. _How forgetful of me...is it age?"

He then quickly pulled it away, recreating the blade from his palm.

"Is your blood flowing properly yet?"

"Heh...you tell me..."

"Hmm? Muu!"

Stabbing my spear into my shadow, its tip appeared underneath Null Ender's shadow. He couldn't get away in time and the spear head went through his foot but he managed to cut off the rest of the spear before his injury worsened. He then did the same thing I did and proceeded to "Dispel" the spearhead.

"Hahaha...that's it! That's the feeling that gets your blood boiling! You feel it don't you? The roar of the battlefield is where we truly feel alive!"

"Don't lump me in with you!" I shouted back as his blade bathed in a black aura and mt bow began to charge in a white light. "I'll never become anything like you!"

"Of course not! You'll either die here or become someone who'd surpassed me! But so long as those that oversee your containment survive, your life is destined to fall into shadows! If you do survive, they will see the true potential that lies within the Devil Ärms thanks to my appearance here! They will crave that power...and in doing so, lead themselves and the entire universe into ruin! In order to prevent that I became Null Enders in order to overcome the massive protection that came with their positions! Burn within the flames of hell! Ain End!"

"Pierce through the shadows with the soothing darkness! Yami Nagi!"

His swung his sword releasing a wave of black flames toward me as I fired my my arrow through, dissipating the flames, cutting a path straight to Null Enders that I took, swinging my spear at him but he avoided it by taking to the sky.

"What are you blabbing about?" I asked following him.

"The more power you have the harder it is for the law to touch you! Money changes hands! Favors are called! Threats issued! When you opponents are members of the top it is impossible to bring them down within the scope of the law, even more so when they are members of a military body with legions of soldiers who only wish to due their duty."

Swinging both his swords downward at me, I blocked with my spear, careful not to have my hands in the way of the blades to keep my fingers safe.

"As I was, I could have easily forsook the law and gone after them myself. I had already nearly everyone close to me!" Turning his sword into a gauntlet, he grabbed my spear and pulled me close to him as he punched me in the face with his other hand.

"Oyaji!"

He ripped my spear from my hand and kneed me in the stomach.

"Shou! Ayumi! "

Grabbing my hair he punches me with his gauntlet had.

"Kasumi! Ed!"

A swift uppercut to my chin followed by a grab to the leg and throwing me back to the earth.

"Alex...Subaru...Sakura...Teana..."

A much larger blade formed in his hand as he pointed it downward at me.

"The former two of the last group...killed by my own hand...both choices I made for the peace of others...cutting away the bonds of my humanity for the sake of billions of strangers...how many people can do that? Ruin their own lives, for the sake of others. Everyday heroes do it all the time...but even then, there would be those that would blame them for not doing their jobs properly to prevent the incident in the first place."

As he was going on about something, his blade began to burn in the same black fire as before, as if it was feeding off his misery. I struggled to dislodge myself from the ground but my body was not responding.

"A terrorist attack on a cruiser, a single soldier giving their life to save every last passenger on board, only to be disgraced for not being able to stop it in the first place. A Major, self destructing his own base to buy time for his subordinates to retreat, demoted for destroying precious military property. An officer killed attempting to capture a criminal, ridiculed for letting the criminal escape...a society where such a system exists isn't needed! And that is why my army succeeded in crushing the useless system that can't protect its own citizens! Only under my rule...the Neo-Belkan Empire...can the people hope to survive the dangers to come!"

He's rambling now...nothing was making sense. His mind was clearly no longer with him. His body was now only a vessel to channel his hatred against the TSAB.

"Erupt with the fury of the Lost! Crescent...Explosion!"

"The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens! Rho Aias!"

Having wrested my left arm from the ground I attempted to block the strike. I could feel the barriers shattering one by one, causing massive strain on my arm, as the blade crashed trough them, before stopping on the seventh one, where it exploded, enveloping both of us in the black flames.

The pain I felt was immense. It was like every inch of my body was being roasted simultaneously by a cattle prod, the worst of it was on my left arm.

When the flames finally died down, my body was covered in burns and my left arm was nearly charred black. Null Enders was in no better shape either since his attack erupted earlier than he expected as it seems he was affected too. Or perhaps the attack itself was a double edge sword. His right arm had been charred black as well and his mask was practically melting on his face. His Barrier Armor was ripped and torn, revealing countless lacerations and scars along with small metal holes all around his chest, the largest of them right over his heart.

"But...I will continue to fight..." he breathed forming a smaller sword in his left hand. "I will ignore the corpses that I've piled up...and continue to play the part that I was given..."

"You are insane," I said forming my own blade in my right arm. "Nothing you say makes sense and you are not giving anyone the chance to make any sense of it...you have to be stopped here...before more people die..."

"What do you care? They are strangers...ones you will probably never meet. They will never know that you are the one who saved them. The ones holding your strings are the ones that will receive the recognition...that's how it is as a soldier..."

"I don't fight as a soldier...I fight as myself...the me that fights to protect those within my daily life...if a few billion strangers are saved as well...there's nothing wrong with that."

Null Enders remained silent as he he lowered his body into a stance and I followed suit.

"One...last...attack..."

"A single stroke..."

The two of us stared each other down, not moving a muscle as our useless limb hanged from our side. Then as a piece of the landscape crumbled, the two of us dashed forward...

Twenty steps away...I turned my blade inward toward his chest. Ten steps away...I pulled my arm back slightly, ready to force the last of my strength into the one final thrust. Five...four...three...two...one...

"Stoooooooop!"

A rush of blue hair appeared right in front of me. In a split second, I turned my sword outward, cutting her in the right side as the other blade grazed her on the left side of her neck.

""Subaru!""

She fell backwards and I dropped my sword to catch her, trying to plug the injury in her side with my hand as she held her hand over her neck injury.

"I'm...I'm okay..." she said looking at her hand. Thankfully the cut was shallow and didn't hit an artery.

"What the hell were you doing?" I shouted at her. "I could have...if I had reacted even a nanosecond slower...I would have...I...I would have..."

The thought sent a chill down my spine as I am reminded of the dream I had in the bunker...

"I'm sorry...but I didn't want you to die..." she said softly.

"And it's okay if you die! Everything we've done these last few weeks would have been for nothing if you were to die!"

I had a thousand more things to say to her but a scream caught my attention.

"My lord!"

Blau was running toward Null Enders, who had froze in place, holding his sword upward with Subaru's blood dripping from it.

"I...I almost...again...I almost...no...stop...I didn't want to..." he was whispering loudly to himself as he dropped his sword and clutched the side of his head with his good arm. It looked like he was having some sort of psychological attack that his MASC wasn't regulating properly.

His body began to glow in the dark aura and the scenery in front of us began to blur as if we were looking at the landscape in the middle of a heat wave.

Blau tried to hold him but she was stilled handcuffed. After a scream of frustration she began to pull her injured arm out of the cuffs, tearing even more of the skin off as it scraped against the metal cuffs, staining them in a deep red before wrapping her hands around Null Enders's head and holding it against her chest.

"My lord...please calm down," she said kindly. "You didn't kill her...she's still alive...listen to my voice...and the beating of my heart...breathe in slowly...and then out."

"I didn't want to...I had no choice...she was going to...I had...I couldn't..."

It was if the entire world around the two of them had stopped. Subaru and I were mesmerized at the scene in front of us. It looks like she was succeeding in calming him down as his aura began to dim and recede. Then another voice brought the two of us back.

"Yuu-san!"

"Subaru! Kuro!"

"Are you two okay?"

Teana, Alex and Ed were running up to us followed by Ghost ,who had placed himself between us and Null Enders and Blau, while the others ran up to our side.

"Whoa...you are most definitely NOT okay..." Ed said eying my smoldering arm.

"Does it...does it hurt?" Teana asked, holding her arm out, as if wondering whether or not she should try to touch it.

"Actually...I think it fried my nerves so I can't even feel anything..." I replied, oddly without a hint of worry in my voice. "Anyway...how the hell did you guys get here?"

"We split off from the main forces attacking the front gate," Alex explained. "It's only a matter of time before they break through. Did...did you win?"

He added the last bit as he looked at Null Enders who was lying in Blau's arms.

"At this moment...it seems that Null Enders...is currently subdued..." Ghost noted. "However...that can quickly change in the face...of immediate danger...it would be best to act cautiously...if we are to apprehend...or kill him...but at this rate...I wonder if either one is necessary anymore..."

"It's like...he's been reduced to a child..." Ed said softly.

"Null Enders nearly killed...Subaru Nakajima...a second time," Ghost pointed out. "The first time...mentally and emotionally...destroyed him...as he had killed...for the first time...and it was someone he cared for...such a trauma...is unimaginable...Defender Blau...may be the only thing...keeping him from...losing complete control...right now..."

"Blau..." Teana said softly as she and Ed tended to Subaru's wounds. "She really does care for him..."

"Even as a mere shadow...of Subaru Nakajima...she could not throw away the feelings...retained in her body and mind...of course Apfel is the same..." Ghost said nodding to Teana. "To Apfel...Blau and Null Enders...are more important to her...than her own life...which was why she...would insist on taking missions...alone so that Blau...would stay behind and care for Null Enders..."

"Sir! What are our orders?" the Soldats that came with Ed and Alex asked Ghost.

"This situation...is similar to disarming a...nuclear device...form a defensive line...do not let the TSAB mages...interrupt the Defender! If he were to lose control...never mind the camp...half of the planet...may very well disappear!"

"Sir!"

As the other cybrogs left, Null Enders began to speak again.

"Defender...Blau...?" he spoke his words slowly.

"Yes, my lord?" Blau asked softly.

"Why can't you follow my orders? Why have you returned?"

"I can't ever abandon you...I care too much about you...not as a vassal...not as a Mirage...but as myself...I want...I need you...to need me..."

Rummaging in her pack, she took out the syringe-like EMC and inserted it into the hole over his heart, pulling the pump and extracting the excess magical energy from his body.

"They are nothing...but the meaningless feelings of a dead woman..."

"But they are also mine..."

"Only a fool...can continue to care for...the man that killed her..."

"Well...I'm sure she realizes she is a fool..."

I could see Blau's eyes look over toward my direction, specifically at Subaru, as could everyone else, since everyone by Null Enders were all looking at Subaru.

"So it wasn't my best idea," she said, turning a bright red. "But it stopped them didn't it?"

"At the risk of turning me into the thing in front of us," I thought to myself. I wasn't cruel enough to say that out loud, and I could tell Ed was thinking the same thing but I got him to close his mouth with a single glance.

"Even so...my time is running out...you can see can't you?" Null Enders asked. "This was to be my last battle..."

"And it is...we have lost," Blau said, helping Null Enders to his feet. "Our fleet has been routed and the Martyr's Rebellion has been forced planet side."

"And once again...I am a man without power..."

"Apfel and I...will always stand by your side my lord...whether you command us or not...you don't need to continue fighting...is...is living your final days peacefully...impossible?"

"I...guess...that wouldn't be...so bad..."

Null Enders was back on his feet, and I quickly got back up as well. But he wasn't interested in me anymore. His attention was focused on Blau. She gulped slightly as she slowly reached her hands and touched Null Enders's MASC. When he didn't push her away, she slowly reached her hands around them and...

"_WARNING! HIGH VELOCITY ROUND INCOMING!"_

My Devil Ärms suddenly issued a warning a mere moment before the area where the two of them were standing exploded, kicking up rocks and dirt everywhere. Instinctively I dived on the two people next to me, Teana and Subaru, to shield them from the debris, while Ghost stood in front of all of us to do the same.

"What? What the crap just happened!" Ed screamed over the sound of rocks and dirt landing back on the ground.

"Who fired?" Alex asked picking himself off the ground. "It was a solid round right? Was it the Neo-Belkans?"

"What about those two?" Subaru asked. "Were they hit?"

When the dust cleared, we received our answer. Null Enders was on his back, lying outside of the large crater. In the center of it...stood Blau with a large, metal, barbed stake extending out of her chest.

"B-Blau?" Subaru asked softly, her eyes wide in horror.

Blau had the exact same expression as she did. Blood and tears were streaming down her face as she tried to move her arms toward the pole but she had no strength and they fell uselessly by her side.

"Blau?" This time it was Null Enders who spoke. He slowly got to his feet and limped toward Blau's body, still upright and impaled into the earth. "Hey...answer me...Defender Blau...that's an order...answer me!"

He gripped the pole with his good hand, the barbs cutting into the device on his hand, and tried to pull the pole out, with no luck.

"She...she pushed him..." Teana said as the three of us stood up as well. "Just before it hit him...she pushed him out of the way...and got hit instead..."

Null Enders continued to try and get a response from Blau's body.

"Defender Blau! I order you not to die! Do you hear me! Don't! Die!" he was screaming desperately at her. Removing his hand from the pole, his blood sticking onto to it as if connecting his hand to the pole, he grabbed his MASC and tore it off, sending blood flying everywhere from his face. The reason was simple. Underneath the MASC were several nails, something that definitely wasn't on the ones Asakura showed me, that were used to fasten the MASC to his face. Multiple holes, with blood streaming from them were on his already scarred face.

"Look at me! Listen to me! Do! Not! Die! I beg you...don't...die..."

But it was already far too late. If she wasn't dead the moment the stake impaled her...she certainly was now. Her golden eyes were dull, her arms and head were dangling from her body, completely limp.

The only reason the body was still standing, was due to the barbs on the pole...but who could have used such a weapon? Judging from Null Enders's and Ghost's reactions, it was definitely not Neo-Belkan.

"The magical energy...in Defender Blau's...body...has been completely drained...by that thing..." Ghost said, his fist shaking by his side. "That weapon is a mage killer..."

"_Warning: Second volley incoming!"_

A second stake flew through the air, right toward Null Enders who neither made an attempt to defend nor dodge. He stood there staring at Blau's lifeless body. But the stake never reached him. It reached about half a meter from his head, before it flattened itself like an accordion and dropped harmlessly onto the ground.

Then...Null Enders arched his back toward the sky and opened his mouth...

But nothing came out of it. No spell, no scream nothing. Or so I thought.

The next instant, both Subaru and Ghost were doubled over in pain, clutching the side of their head with their hands, screaming in pain.

"Subaru?" Teana asked.

"Hey, Subaru! What's wrong" I asked grabbing her by the shoulders.

"My head..." she said through gritted teeth, her eyes glowing gold as if she was in her Combat Cyborg form. "It feels like something is trying to split it open! It hurts...make it stop!"

"Ghost?" I turned to Ghost who had knelt down in pain, with one hand on the ground and the other on his head.

"Null Enders..." he explained trying to stand up but the pain was keeping him down. "His despair is being...fed through the Cyborg Communication Network...though I don't understand...why it would affect...Subaru as well..."

"Basically...he's screaming at a level that is affecting Combay Cyborgs?" Alex asked as Ghost nodded.

"The bomb exploded...huh?" Ed halfheartedly joked. "What happens now?"

As if answering him, Null Enders rose up into the air. His wings retracted and his body began to convulse. His skin began to expand and move as if something was crawling around inside him. They were all converging on his back as suddenly, large metallic wings erupted from his back, his Barrier Armor reformed around him, encasing him with a pure white long coat extending down to his feet.

His once injured right arm was encased in the white light and he raised it up forming a double-bladed sword. The two Devil Ärms on his hands were now both pure white with golden nail guards. And finally, the light wrapped around his head, creating a metal helmet that encased his entire head. The top half was pure white, with a large horn extending upward and two long piece of cloth chained to it extending down to his legs. The bottom half was pure black, with two layers of metal, opening up around around his eyes ad mouth, where only a blood red glow can be seen coming out from it.

And then...he spoke.

"**Null Enders...Devil Ärms...Genesis Form..."**

His voice was nothing like it was before. It was cold, dark almost lifeless and robotic.

Landing back next to Blau's body, he touched the stake with a single finger, and the metal began to rust into dust, allowing Blau's body to fall to the ground.

"**May this worthless universe...return to its origin...the Genesis..."**

With his wings extended he flew off toward the direction where the stakes were fired from.

"Wait! Null Enders!" I shouted as I flew off after him, ignoring the protests of the others. But his speed was almost double mine, as was the magical power leaking out of his body. I don't even know why I was trying to chase him. I knew I couldn't stop him...he'd probably kill me in an instant. Nevertheless, I caught up to him at a scene of carnage. Multiple TSAB mages laid dead on the ground, some of them had an absurd amount of medals and stars on their uniforms...I guess these were high ranking officers.

Around them were several pieces of destroyed equipment. Looks like this was the site that was launching those stakes...

"Blau...we were so close..." I muttered to myself, remembering the sight of her dead body, dangling from the stake. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was Subaru...

"No! Please! Have mercy!"

A voice I didn't recognize caught my attention. I kept to the shadows of the destroyed weapons as I searched for the source. I found it not too far away.

Null Enders was standing over a crying official, who was on his knees, begging for his life as there were several other men that were impaled by the stakes around him...or rather were impaled on top of the stakes instead.

"**Mercy? I wouldn't have thought you knew the word..." **The cold voice of Null Enders said grabbing the man by the neck and hoisting him off the ground, holding him high in the air. **"Were you showing mercy when you developed these weapons? Were you showing mercy when you tried to kill me? Were you showing mercy...when you killed Blau!"**

"Agghhkkk..." The man was choking as Null Enders tightened his grip around his neck, just avoiding crushing his windpipe.

"**But...I will show you the same mercy as I've showed the rest of your Devil Watch group...save for the only Admiral who understood the meaning of 'humanity.' I shall kill you now...so you will be exempt from the Genesis. Here is the mercy you so desired!"**

With a loud crack, the struggling man's body went limp and fell to the ground when Null Enders released him.

"**You didn't stop me?"** Null Enders asked, as he turned to me.

"I said so earlier right?" I said walking out in the open. "I'm only going to protect those close to me. Everyone else is just a bonus."

"**But you can't even do that...not with that broken body and incomplete Devil Ärms...you've just come here to die..."**

"Haha...yeah...this wasn't the best idea..."

Pulling out my blade I charged at him but he didn't even need a weapon to beat me.

"**Begone worm..."**

All it took was him swinging his arm to shatter my blade, as well as the bones in my arm. That was my limit...we were so close to ending this...and its gotten a lot harder...

Those were my last thoughts as I blacked out once again...

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One man whose two different fates that should have remained parallel to one another have intertwined leaving one broken and the other with hope. The actions of the past continue to influence the outcome of the present and future as he must make a difficult choice. Next time on Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha StarS: Twin Shadows, Twin Paths.

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Author's Notes:

Remember the good old days? Awkward romances, groin attacks, and small time drama and quick battles?

Yeah, me neither...so how'd I do with this one? Leave a Review please...and I might be even more motivated to put out another chapter within a week.

Update: A picture of Blau (not dead) can be seen on my profile.


	22. Twin Shadows, Twin Paths

Author's Notes:

Sorry, a week later than I meant to update but it's pretty long so you'll all forgive me right? The thirty of you who are still reading this? I love you guys okay?

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**Chapter 22: Twin Shadows, Twin Paths**

"Well...this is new..."

I found myself in a blank world surrounded by fog. I was probably dreaming since my left arm was back to normal.

"_Conditions have been met...deciphering encrypted program. Complete. Running hidden administrative program."_

A voice similar to the Devil Ärms rang out in the air as my shadow stretched out in front of me, and a figure rose out from it. It was the same one I saw way back in Mid-Childa when I got both Devil Ärms.

The shadow turned around to look at me before sighing and speaking.

"So it has come to this..." it said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I am a program in the image of the Creator, that is to activate should the Devil Ärms come into contact with another of much greater power, something that by all means, should be physically impossible. Only one set of Devil Ärms have been created."

"I can't tell if the 'Creator' was crazy prepared or what..."

"Whether or not he foresaw this or is irrelevant at this time. The fact of the matter is, that there is in fact, another set of Devil Ärms out there with much more power than you've currently have at your disposal."

"You mean the Genesis Form? What does it do...exactly?"

"That form is the outcome when the host continues to survive under constant hardship and despair. It's not some insignificant amount either. It would have to be almost a decade of constant depression and emotional stress, starting from one large traumatic event, and end with the same traumatic event."

"That's...oddly specific."

"One would think the Creator knew what would happen..."

"But what does the Form do?"

"The Genesis Form, as its name implies, can bring about the genesis, or the beginning. To be able to control time itself, it can reset the universe to its most basic core, right after the big bang, if you believe in that theory."

"So basically..." I began, my hair standing on the back of my neck. "It'll just kill everyone, everywhere, at every time?"

"In layman's terms, yes. The wielder of Genesis has already lost all faith in humanity. By bringing about the Genesis, he will be able to turn back the clock as far back as he wishes, returning everything to its origin...save himself. But doing so will cause him to lose all sense of self, becoming nothing more than a vessel for the Devil Ärms to act. By the time he returns to his senses, the universe will be filled with nothing but oversized asteroids, with life barely starting to form...and himself, alone. But this would be his own choices, there are no secrets between the one who has unlocked the full potential of the Devil Ärms and his weapons. Only when the Devil Ärms and the host become one would absolute knowledge of every single spell and ability within the device up to that point is revealed, no strings attached. Until then however..."

"So if he uses the spell...it's his own choice..."

There was no doubt in my mind that Null Enders was going to use it. He was a broken man after all. There was nothing left for him. No friends, no loved ones, not even time. Even if he did reset everything, he wouldn't spend too long alone anyway.

I looked down at the Devil Ärms on my hands. There was no response but for some reason, I could feel some warmth emitting from them. I closed my fists and looked up at the shadow.

"How do I fight him?" I asked.

"You can match him with something of equal power," The shadow explained, as if expecting me to ask that. "There are two paths you can take if you wish to do so."

The world around me was split into two colors, black and white. The shadow itself was also split in half, shining a white form over the black background and a black form over the white background.

"You can go the same route he took," the black shadow said. "To wallow in despair until your mind shatters, receiving almost unparalleled power. The path is clear and certain but the consequences may be greater than you could ever imagine."

"Or you can take the longer road," the white shadow said. "This road is dark and shrouded in mystery. Here you must continue fighting as you are now, never giving up hope, no matter how powerless you seem, you must never give up and continue to seek the small light within the darkness. In doing so, you will put yourself in a situation where survival seems impossible. From there, fate will decide whether or not you succeed."

"It's a gamble either which way...but I have no desire to take the same path he did."

With my declaration, the world shifted again, surrounding everything in black, leaving only myself and the white shadow illuminated in the darkness.

"The path you have chosen will be a difficult one...the second you give up is the moment where this path will be shut removed from your reach leaving you powerless before the might of The Genesis. While the other is filled with emotional pain, this one is filled with physical pain."

"Sounds fun...but I will not change my mind...tell me how do I stop him with this."

The Shadow nodded as a sphere rose up in between us.

"This is a program embedded in the very center of the core of the Devil Ärms. The Class SS spell: Gefäng. It creates a pocket dimension around the host, trapping him and anything within a two kilometer radius inside. Once inside, the captives do not experience life as regular mortals do. They do not age, they do not sleep, nor do they need to eat. The captives will be trapped there until only one is left standing and then a way out will be shown to him."

"So then...I have to use it...and trap the two of us in a place where he could beat me for an indefinite amount of time...and try not to die during that time?" I asked wearily.

"This is the longer path," The shadow repeated. "It is the one less traveled for a reason. But, if you continue to believe in victory, the path will be clear to you."

"It's like your Creator was expecting all of this...like he'd knew we were going to fight each other."

"Predicting and expecting are two different things," The shadow said as he went right up into my face. "But...know that all of this is part of a greater purpose that you can never understand. Play your part well...Kimura Yuuki."

I blinked and found myself back in a familiar blue room.

"This is...the Stargazer?" I mumbled rubbing my eyes with my right hand.

My body was in so much pain that it was hard to stay conscious. My left arm was also in a cast and sling that was hanging from the ceiling. I have got to stop being seriously injured after battles...

"Onii-chan?"

The door opened and Sakura was standing there with tears in her eyes. She broke into a run and jumped onto my bed, sending a great crushing pain to my ribs.

"Ow! Ow ow ow! Sakara! That hurts!"

"It's punishment so it has to hurt!" she said hugging me even tighter.

"Ow ow ow! Give! Give! Give!"

"Your brother is going to have a longer recovery time if you break anymore of his ribs," a voice came from the doorway. Asakura stood there with her medical notes. She walked over and grabbed Sakura by the collar and lifted her up and away from me with with one hand while still reading her notes. Sakura struggled for a bit before giving up and was placed on a chair in the corner of the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Emotionally, mentally, or physically?" I asked. "Because the answer for all three is, 'Not good.' Blau is...?"

Asakura didn't say anything. She simply looked away and shook her head, but that was enough of an answer for me.

"It really scared me..." Sakura said grabbing the hem of her skirt. "I thought it was Onee-chan for a moment..."

Technically it was...but there was no reason to tell that to her.

"What about the others?"

"They are in the regular medical wing. You are in the Intensive Care Unit, again."

"Haha...was that spite I heard in that last word?"

"That is just your imagination."

After that she performed some basic tests to make sure it was okay for me to get up and move about, which she confirmed fairly quickly.

"I don't know if its either your body or the logia, or a combination of both, but you have an absurdly fast healing rate even without the assistance of Medi-gel," she said waving her arm with the orange device over my body and nodding in satisfaction.

"It just means that I can be beaten more often..." I said as she removed the sling from its hooks so it can be placed around my neck instead. "Speaking of being beaten up...what's Null Enders doing right now?"

Asakura looked at me for a moment before stepping back and showing me a few monitors.

"Currently, Null Enders has taken position on a small island a few kilometers off the coast," he said. "His flagship, The Martyr's Rebellion, has taken position above him deploying hundreds of troops on the island, preventing TSAB mages from intercepting him. TSAB warships are also unable to attack the ship directly as the use of their high powered weaponry would cause massive damages to the surroundings if the attacks were deflected. Smaller ships that tried to engage were simply shot down or repulsed by The Martyr's Rebellion. Null Enders has also activated some sort of protocol that prevents all Neo-Belkan Cyborgs from directly attacking him, rendering my forces useless as well."

"Normally this would be a stalemate but large amount of energy has been radiating from the island. He is planning something there and it seems he's stalling for time. We can not engage from either air or sea. Sooner or later there will be the order to simply bombard the island from orbit, as the consequences of that would most likely be far less then whatever Null Enders has planned."

How right you are...but even then that wouldn't work.

"I think the ship is merely a red herring," I said pointing at it on the screen. "The TSAB know what the ship is capable of because most of the fleet was engaged with it above the planet, but no one knows what Null Enders is truly capable of, other than data taken from me. But even that is now obsolete. By the time they destroy the ship, Null Enders would have finished what he has been preparing. Do you have any idea how the Cyborgs identify who Null Enders is I mean he looks nothing like he did before, so do they use some sort of IFF or visual recognition?"

"No, he's not broadcasting any sort of IFF signal and visual recognition is too easy to fool to be reliable..." Asakura replied.

"Then...how about a genetic code?"

"Huh?"

"Is it possible that the cyborgs are identifying him by his DNA? If so then..."

"You...what are you planning?"

"If I could get close to him...I might be able to do something..."

"Are you going to break your arm on him again?" Asakura said standing up over me. "You weren't even able to fight him to a standstill when you were on equal ground. Now that his power level is that of an SSS rank mage, do you really think it's possible for a single mage, and an injured one at that, to be able to even put a dent in his..."

"Do we have a choice?" I stood up as well and although I was taller than her she didn't budge. "By the time any other mage gets to him they'd have fought through a battalion of soldiers and they'd either be injured or wasted too much energy to fight him. I'm the only one that can get close without wasting my time."

"Then what sort of plan could you have possibly come up with when you were unconscious for the past forty-two hours?"

The two of us stared each other down for a minute or so before Sakura wedged herself in between us.

"No fighting!" she said pushing the two of us apart. "It's dangerous for friends to fight right now! Asakura onee-chan...Onii-chan just wants to help...but Onii-chan needs to get better before he can help. Okay?"

Asakura looked down at her before stepping back from me.

"Three hours," she said holding up three fingers. "You are to continue resting for three more hours and then I'll listen to whatever hair-brained scheme you've come up with. Then I will decide whether or not to implement it."

"Fair enough," I said as I sat back down on the bed.

"Come now...let your Onii-chan rest."

As Asakura took Sakura's hand, I looked down at Sakura and then to Asakura, thinking of the silly birth day conversation they had a few days ago.

"Hey...one more question," I said as she turned to look at me. "How old are you?"

"It's rude to ask a woman her age."

"Just answer the question...please..."

"Let's see...if we're going by your Earth calender...around 19 years old I guess..."

"I see...sorry for everything..."

"Onii-chan?"

Sakura was looking between the two of us, confused, but Asakura merely shook her head and lead her out, saying that I needed rest. I heard a few beeps after the door closed, indicating that she locked me in.

Heaving a sigh, I threw myself onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to relax at the blinking blue lights.

"There was no way she's going to let me go through with this plan..." I thought to myself as I removed my sling and cracked open the cast, releasing my fully healed arm. "This ability is so useful it's scary...I wonder what's the limit...but this is no time to screw around. I need to get out of here..."

But as soon as I sat up, the door beeped and opened and I saw a flash of orange hair.

"Teana...? No...Defender Apfel?" I quickly noticed her yellow eyes and corrected myself but she doesn't seem to have heard me. She scanned the hallway outside before entering the room and closing the door behind her.

"Your name was...Kimura Yuuki correct?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's right..."

At first I thought she was going to try and attack me but she mrely looked around the room for a chair and pulled it up alongside my bed.

"What has happened?" she asked. "I've only been able to intercept random and broken communication between the Soldats and the bridge."

She was staring at me so fiercely that it kinda hurt, but she needs to know...I know Teana would want to know if something ever happened to Subaru...

"Blau...Blau was..."

But how the hell do I say it? How the hell do you tell someone that someone they cared about was dead? Especially when it was your side that killed them?

But she seems to have figured it out from my hesitation as she leaned back on the chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"I see...Blau really did die..." she mumbled before slouching over and covering her face with her hands. :She's really..."

Although there wasn't any emotion in her voice, her body language said everything she needed to say.

"Did...did you realize it before hand?"

"The two of us could monitor the other one's status at all times, whether or not we had a MASC," she said, without looking at me. "We were designed to work as a pair after all...but I didn't want to believe it. I told myself that my systems were not fully repaired...she...how did she die?"

I thought about my next words carefully before answering.

"She died doing her duty...protecting Null Enders," I said carefully.

"I see...there's some comfort in that..."

The two of us quickly fell silent as some footsteps came from the hallway. They stopped in front of the door and knocked before moving away from the door again. Standing up from the bed, I walked over to the door and opened it. But after looking up and down the hallway, I couldn't see anyone. Then I noticed something at my feet and bent down to pick it up.

"What was it?" Apfel asked.

"I don't know...it's some kind of...prism?"

I showed her the thing in my hand and she walked up and took it from my hand.

"It's a device that displays images," she explained as she twisted one of the ends and a small hologram popped up as both of our eyes widened at the image.

It was a photo of myself standing between a laughing Subaru and a shocked Teana with my arms around their shoulders, pulling them in close to me.

I remember this. We took it right before I left Mid-Childa to return to earth...but my photos were all destroyed along with...well, everything else I owned in my house...

"This...this was what Blau was always looking at?" Apfel said, closely examining it. "There are signs of damage along the device...and the image itself shows signs of crude restoration...she actually managed to restore it..."

She tightened her hands around the device. Even though their memories were removed...their bodies remembered the feelings they had for each other. Blau, Apfel...even Null Enders...

"'A shadow is all they have left,' huh?" I mumbled to myself.

"What happened to..." Apfel said looking up at me.

"Null Enders is currently seeking to end all life," I replied. "He is currently not of sound mind and is acting out of pure hatred. I want to stop him at all costs. All of my friends are either injured or refused to help me. Therefore, I want your help."

To my surprise she immediately agreed.

"Understood," she replied, placing the photo on the counter. "It is the duty of vassal to correct the mistakes of their master."

"That...was easier than I had expected..." I replied honestly.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"Only on what to do when I meet him...getting off the ship to get to him on the other hand...I have no clue."

"I may have a solution to that," Apfel said looking around the room, her eyes stopping at the vent.

"Oh no...please don't tell me..."

"I knew it..."

"To be fair, I did not tell you..."

At least the vents were suspiciously spacious. Although it was hard to see where I was going due to the dark and...

"What's wrong? You won't be able to pay attention to the path if you look off to the side like that," Apfel said as she crawled around the corner.

"Yes, well..." I mumbled as I followed behind her. "It's a bit hard when there is something that someone else would kill me for if I ever saw."

Ahh...this is why I don't like warrior girls in fiction. Modesty is always on the back of their minds, especially when their rear is shaking in front of a man's face in extremely cramped corridors...but really...black?

"Here seems like a good place...hmm?"

"Oomph!"

"Oh, my apologies. I should have let you know I was stopping."

"Funbag...airbag..."

She slowly opened the vent and poked her head through it. Apparently the coast was clear as she skillfully pulled herself through the small opening and flipped herself on her feet. I had a much harder time getting out.

"Are you okay?" she asked helping me to my feet.

"I think I broke my face..." I mumbled, rubbing my aching nose.

"Umm...are you one of those people who are unable to do anything unless put into a life or death situation?"

"Actually, I think I do this all the time...it varies depending on who's life is at stake though...mm? What's wrong?"

She was looking at a doorway with interest. It was the morgue.

"Do...do you wanna go and see her?" I asked.

"No...we have more important things to do right now..."

That was probably insensitive of me to ask. I should try to keep comments like that to myself...right now we have to focus on stopping Null Enders...but how far will her assistance go?

"Stop right there!"

"Alert! The patient and Priority One are loose!"

"Restrain them! Don't use guns!"

"Honestly, I'm surprised it took them this long..."

"It's like someone disabled all security on the ship..."

Apfel and I were hiding in a supply closet we waited for the Soldats to run past us. After about five minutes, we couldn't hear anyone else so we left and continued toward the hanger.

"Come to think of it," I said as I followed her. "How did you get out of your room? I thought you were under heavy surveillance."

"I don't know," she replied, stopping and peeking down a hallway before continuing. "All I know was that when I woke up, I was alone in an examination room, without a guard and there was a message on a monitor telling me to head to the private recovery room you were in. It also had the code to your room..tch..."

In front of us a patrol turned the corner and saw us, holding a baton that seemed to be surging with electricity.

"There they are!"

"Stop! You aren't supposed to be out of your rooms!"

But Apfel kept on running. She jumped onto the wall beside them and gave a sharp kick to the closer Soldat's head, knocking him into the other wall. The remaining Soldat tried to hit her with his baton, but she hit his hand, causing him to lose his grip on the baton. She then grabbed it and pressed the charged area on the Soldat's chest, causing him to writhe in pain before dropping like a rock.

I stood there, dumbfounded, as she turned off the baton and hooked it on her waist.

"What is it?" she asked looking back at me.

"Oh...I was just surprised at how well you moved," I said honestly.

"Did I..." she began but stopped and looked at the ground before looking back at me and continuing. "Is Teana Lanster not trained in close combat?"

"Well, I don't know about recently, but when we were training partners, she only dabbled with it but her focus was on fire support. And even then it was training with dagger weapons."

"I see...so I'm pretty different after all..."

"I'm sorry if this seems intrusive but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. You should be your own person. Continue to live your own life rather than cling to a shadow you know so little about."

She looked at me and blinked once or twice before turning around.

"We wasted enough time here...we should hurry and proclaim a shuttle before they figure out our plans."

The run to the hanger wasn't fairly uneventful save for the three other patrols that we ran into. By the time we were actually inside a shuttle, however, they finally understood what were were planning to do.

"What exactly are you planning, Kimura Yuuki?" Asakura was fuming on the other side of the monitor as I assisted Apfel in starting up the shuttle by following her instructions since I had no idea what I'm doing.

"I'm going to stop Null Enders," I said as I flipped a few switches on the board above my head. "I suggest you lower the ramp before we blast our way out."

"You're going through with that dangerous and half-baked plan of yours?"

"Oh? And why would yo think that?"

"You're trying to leave on your own because you think I wouldn't accept your plan. Why else would you pull a stunt like this?"

"Hahaha...or it could be that we don't have the time to just sit around..."

"What are you talking abuot! At least give me some-what are you...?"

But Asakura was cut off by Ghost who held his hand out in front of her.

"Are you...one hundred percent sure...of your plan?" he asked.

"Yes..."

"Is there...no other way?"

"...No..."

He nodded his head, as if he understood what I was thinking.

"Lower the ramp...all units...stand clear!"

His order rang throughout the entire ship as the ramp in front of me opened.

"Good luck..." Ghost said with a salute as the connection cut off.

"Is it really dangerous?" Apfel asked.

"We're going up against a man with enough power to destroy a planet who is surrounded by an army of Soldats and Kämpfers...any plan I come up with is going to be dangerous...second thoughts?" I asked turning to her but she shook her head.

"It is my duty...and Blau didn't save him, just for him to destroy everything..."

"Even if history will remember her as the one that caused all this?"

"History is written by the victor...and you'll do a good job writing it won't you?"

"Of course,."

Then a voice over the PA had the two of us look straight forward.

"Standby! Opening shuttle bay doors!"

"Shuttle 04, you are clear to launch!"

I tried to relax in my chair as the shuttle started up, hovering just above the floor of the hanger bay and flew out the opening. The radar in front of me showed no sign of the the ship and the rear view monitor only showed the inside of the ship we just left before disappearing altogether.

"Amazing isn't it?" Apfel asked as she worked the controls. "A perfect stealth system. Mirror Coating, Optical Camouflage , ECM, ECCM, Heat Emission Dampeners. Completely removes itself from both radars and the naked eye. Though it's only practical on frigate sized ships. The flight drive wouldn't fit on anything smaller, and it won't be able to completely cover anything bigger."

Soon the island was coming into sight. The massive dreadnought covered the whole island, casting a shadow that completely covered the island.

"What's the plan?" Apfel asked.

"Go straight in," I replied.

"What? Do you see all those Soldats down there?"

"If my theory is right, we won't have to worry about them!"

"Just what is your theory anywa-"

But a small clang on the hull of the ship cut her off. The two of us fell silent as we heard another one, and then another. And then, like rain drops the sounds became rapid and constant. They were shooting at us.

"So much for that theory!" I shouted as Apfel took the controls and I tried to extend some barriers in front of the shuttle.

"So it was a stupid idea after all!" she said as an RPG flew past the cockpit and crashed into my barrier. "We're too easy of a target up here! I'm going to try and take us down lower. We may have to abandon the shuttle."

I stood up from my chair and started toward the back as she pressed a few buttons on her console and followed me. We headed to the ramp and lowered it as the shuttle shook from the explosions and shrapnel impact.

"Excuse me!" I said as I picked Apfel up and jumped out of the shuttle as it exploded in flames. She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck to keep herself from falling off of me. I equipped my Barrier Armor and spread my wings to slow the descent and we landed in the middle of the woods.

"Stuck in the middle of enemy territory with no backup..." Apfel said as I let her down. "This is the worst possible situation..."

Two pistols appeared in her hand as we hid behind some trees. I could hear the movement of the forest around us. The Soldats were searching for us. Several red lights were shining through the shadows of the trees, it was probably their eyes.

"I guess we're in for a firefight," I said, as I spun my blade around in my hand.

"Of all the...hah...we're breaking through," she said with a sigh.

"After me!"

I rushed forward through the bushes and other flora as gunfire flew toward my direction. I put up a barrier in front of me as I ran. Before their bullets would simply pierce through my magic based barriers, but it seems the barrier is now strong enough to block them if I pinpoint where the bullet would hit the barrier and reinforce it with magic.

Even now, the Devil Ärms are still evolving. But I need more power if I'm to match Null Enders as he is now.

Then the Soldats have come into sight. I can't half ass it like I did when I assaulted the Neo-Belkan main camp. I'm going to go right through them...I'm going to have to kill them. They are Combat Cyborgs, just like Subaru. I have to think of them like Subaru, think of them as no different from humans. I am going to kill humans. If I think of them as anything else, I will be deny Subaru as well...

"No regret. No hesitation. No mercy. Let's do it!"

A flash of my sword, and a Cyborg's arm was separated from his body, followed by a flash of flame. Another flash and the sword became a spear, which was jabbed straight through another Cybrog's weapon and into his chest. The spear turns into a gauntlet in order to retrieve the edge from inside the Cyborg's chest before it burned. I quickly raised my left arm up and deployed a barrier as a rocket exploded next to my hear.

The ringing echoed inside my head and I could feel the heat brush past me, but I dropped the shield and created a bow and a sword and fired it through the smoke toward the direction where the rocket came from. A dull thud and a cry of pain told me my attack made hit its mark.

A spread of dark orange lights flew past me, froze in midair for a second and spread outward crashing into trees, rocks and other Cyborgs. It seems for now, Apfel's allegiance lies with me. Since we managed to create a whole in their ranks, Apfel and I ignored the others and pushed on through.

"Are you planning a suicide mission?" Apfel asked as we vaulted over a rock which graciously blocked some rounds for us.

"I admit, it's dangerous," I said, placing a head on my head, as if pushing it down. "But I don't plan on dying. The future has a lot more in stored for me!"

"The future...my lord has long since given up on that," Apfel mumbled as we circled around the trunk of a large tree and pressed our backs up against it for a quick breath. "All he could think about was his past, something neither Blau nor I could have been a part off..."

"Blau...she managed to convince him to give life another chance," I said, thinking of how she had calmed him down. "But...the TSAB ruined it and used the opportunity to kill him, but they hit Blau instead..."

"And you wish to help them?" she asked, throwing me an incredulous look.

"Those responsible for the incident are dead. What I want is to do is protect my family and friends' happiness. Should the galaxy be saved in the process, then I consider that a good bonus."

"Happiness...that's something we've never been able to grasp."

I turned toward Apfel and noted the sorrowful and longing look. Perhaps she cared for Null Enders as more than just a servant...wait...then what about Teana. C-could what she had wanted to tell me...

A small explosion to my side blew me off my feet. It seems that we took too long of a break. I hopped back to my feet and slashed the base of the tree with my sword. Apfel through a blue capsule into the air, spun her pistol around her finger, and then shot it, causing an explosion that caused the tree to tip and fall over.

"We need to hurry!" Apfel said, holstering her pistols as we broke into a run toward the center of the island again.

It wasn't long before we ran into a machine gun nest perched on a ledge with a perfect view of our position.

"Any more bright ideas?" Apfel asked.

"Where did all this sarcasm come from?" I asked her back.

"I wonder...is it the original persona?"

"You are yourself. You don't have to be Teana."

"I'm not fortunate enough to be that girl."

She then turned around and looked at me.

"Can you buy me One hundred seventy seconds?"

"Three minutes? What do you plan to do?"

"I'm going to clear a path..."

She stood a bit away from me and her weapon began to light up. Her dual pistols transformed to two giant shoulder mounted cannons along with stabilizing support units.

"Null Enders location confirmed...Three hundred meters to the northeast, two hundred meters above sea level...Energy lines...connected. Floor anchors deployed and locked...beginning charge..."

"Alright! Three minutes it is!"

Rushing out from the cover of the trees I ran toward the machine gun nest. Immediately, the guns targeted me and began firing at me.

"Bow! Shield!"

Raising my left arm where two blades extended from the white Devil Ärms and formed a barrier in front of me, deflecting some of the shots, but it wouldn't hold up against such a volley.

"Even still...I'll endure! For these three minutes, I will endure!"

Two Soldats hopped out of the nest and started sliding down the hill, firing their rifles at me. I raised my shield at them and ran up the hill, placing them between me and the machine gun.

"Sword!"

With the black Devil Ärms, I formed my sword, and rushed up to them, cutting through one of their rifles, along with an arm. The other tried to get back but I slammed into them with my shield and brought my sword down into their chest.

"Hah...hah...hah...I guess...this is a real battle...fighting is thrilling...killing...is not. Crap, I'm too far out, I gotta fall back a bit."

But only if it was that simple. They started to target my feet, where my shield couldn't properly cover without exposing my upper body. The ground below my feet began to crumble and I lost my footing, causing me to fall on my back and slide back down to the base of the hill as the machine gun nest targeted my fallen ass.

"Come on! Only thirty more seconds!" I said to myself as I scrambled to my feet and dived away from the spread. Two more Soldats popped out of the nest and were holding rocket launchers, but they weren't aiming at me.

"On no!"

Drawing my bow, I loaded two blades and took aim, at the same time, the Soldats fired their rockets at the treeline where Apfel was charging.

"Shoot them down!"

I released my grip and the swords took flight, successfully cutting down the rockets. They fired another round each toward me this time and I was ready for it. The first one I dodged with no problem. The second one was heading right at me and I swung my sword at it, splitting it in two as it passed, exploding at a safe distance behind me..

"I can't believe that worked..."

"Firing Vector Cannon!" Apfel voiced rang through the air as a bright orange beam ripped across the trees and right through the machine gun nest as well as the hill they were on. The beam traveled for about ten seconds when it suddenly split and scattered across the sky, as if it hit a barrier and the beam was dispersed.

"Perfect shot, Apfel!" I called out to her. "If we follow your beam's trail we'd end up right where Null Enders is!"

"Right...we need to hurry! Hmm? Ahhh!"

My comm. device broke out in static as a flash of light and smoke rose up from where Apfel was standing.

"Apfel!" I called out her name as I rushed over to her. Three Soldats tried to cut me off but I had no time to waste on them and I took them down in a flash. I found her on the ground with her back against a tree. She slowly raised her head as I got close.

"What...are you doing?" she asked as she struggled to stay awake.

"Hang in there," I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Do you have a medical kit on you?"

But she simply shook her head.

"Blau...was the medic..."

I took a quick look around, but the Soldats had already vanished.

"A-anyway, let's get you up on your feet...ahh..."

I grabbed her body and lifted her up with my hands under her arms and there was a loud snap as we both looked down. Everything from her waist down had fallen off.

She closed her eyes in pain for a second before returning her gaze to me.

"It's already...too late..." she said.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I should have been more attentive...I..."

"Did you...forget what you...came here to do? Don't be distracted...by a fallen soldier...especially not one...that you've only spoke to...for less than an hour..."

"But...you are my comrade...is it wrong to mourn for a comrade?"

She closed her eyes and smiled as I gently laid her down on the grass. She took a look up at her misplaced legs and closed her eyes again.

"In the end...I can never be a human..." she said,

"You're just as much as a human as anyone else, even more than some other people can ever hope to be..."

"You're...a very kind person...please...stop...him..."

Her voiced trailed off as her head slumped over to the side. I moved my hand over her face and closed her eyes. I then picked up her pistol and examined it. It was basically a dark red version of Teana's Cross Mirage

Someone I knew died in front of me again. This time, it was my fault. And Null Enders experienced this how many times? This pain and emptiness? I'm going to stop him...for everyone's sake.

I pulled Apfel's gun holster off her body and returned the gun to it before wearing it myself before turning towards the path she created and flying down it at full speed.

The beam had created a trench that allowed me to avoid the rest of the Combat Cyborgs and placed me right in front of Null Enders. He was inside some kind of sphere that was glowing with a white light. He was floating in a fetal position but his eyes were open and glowing behind the eye slots in his mask.

"Yo, you awake in there?" I asked as I reached my hand out to him, but the sphere gave me a nasty shock and I pulled my hand back quickly. "Right...I doubt you're in the mood to talk..."

I let out a deep sigh as I cracked my knuckles and wrists.

"Let's just do this..."

Holding my arms in front of my in an "X" with hands clenched together as I began charging and focusing my magical power into the Devil Ärms.

"To hold the light within the shadows, to stop the flow of time, to pull everything into darkness and fog. The Black Prison, Gefäng!"

Black lighting shot from my hands into the sky, stopping just short of The Martyr's Rebellion as the Devil Ärms started pulling each other in like magnets. I struggled to pull my arms apart as the lightning began to intensify, creating something akin to a barrier around the island.

The lighting was destroying the landscape around me and it felt like my body was being torn to shreds.

It also struck Null Enders's magic sphere and shattered it causing him to fall onto the ground. The last thing I saw before everything vanished within the darkness, was his blood red eyes staring down my soul.

When I came to, I was lying face first on a concrete slab in the shade of a busted building. Why does this sound so familiar? The difference was, it was extremely bright out, contrasting the other sphere and the eclipsed island. As I climbed out of the ruins into the light, I realized I was definitely not on Mid-Childa anymore. The temperature outside was like a desert and there was a blood red sun in the sky.

The air was also stagnant, as if there was no life on this planet, which might not be that much of a stretch. There was nothing but ash, sand and crumbled buildings in front of me. The pocket dimension is a death world?

The stone wall I had placed my hand on for support crumbled as I started to lean on it. I decided it was better to risk the burning sun rather than stay inside a crumbling building.

From the looks of things, it's quite a drop to the floor, but it's nothing I can't handle. Spreading my wings out, I jumped from the ledge and slowly glided down to the bottom. But as soon as I made contact, the ground gave away and I was taken by surprise and fell all the way down to the bottom as glass shards rained down on me.

It looks like the "ground" I thought I was standing on was a glass ceiling that was covered in ash and sand. If I didn't have my Barrier Armor, I'd have a broken leg and glass in my skin. Though the sand and ash falling on me was more annoying than anything else that happened.

As I brushed myself off I took a look at my surrounds. Unfortunately my only source of light was the hole I created. It looks like I was in some sort of museum or art gallery.

The one that caught my interest was the largest one in front of me, depicting a man and a small girl. The girl had a light red hair and was wearing a black robe with blood red flames for a design along with chains around her body. The man was wearing a long uniform with a cape like garb. His clothes were split into two colors, the entire left half white and the right half black with a perfect split down the center. He also had an odd mask that covered the entire left side of his face but exposed his right side, or so it seems, it was too dark to get a clearer view of his face.

Then, there was a loud creak, like a large door opening to my right followed by a dull thud, as a sword was thrown at my feet, with a small blinking light at its hilt.

I quickly managed to get my barrier up, but the force of the explosion blew me straight through the ceiling and sent me crashing through a few more buildings before landing on what I assume to be solid ground.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?" I shouted at the sky as I coughed to get the dust and other particles out of my lungs. "I thought this was supposed to be a separate dimension, did I get transported to another world? Or is the dimension mirroring the other world?"

As I asked myself this, I heard some rocks crumble behind me. Turning around, I see the familiar white clad angel that had been trying to bring about the end of time. And he is not happy at all...

"I don't suppose you're here to say hello?" I said backing up slightly. He gave me no response, but lines that traced across his body like veins began to flash as he launched himself from the wall straight at me.

I formed a sword and tried to swing at him but his punch snapped the blade clean in half and slammed my head into the concrete. He then started dragging me alongside the road with my head smashing through everything in the ground, from rocks and pipes to walls and glass.

My entire head was ringing with pain, my breath was short and my vision blurred. But he stopped pulling me along and tossed me through the air. I felt my body collide with something hard yet fragile, glass probably, and I sailed right through it, landing sprawled across the dirt.

"You...gotta be kidding me...?" I coughed as I struggled to get up. I was barely his equal when we were fighting on Mid-Childa and he was ill and weak. Now it seems like he no longer has that problem and is even more powerful than before.

I managed to get my head a few inches off the ground only to see a foot come at me, crashing into my skull, lifting me up from the ground. I then feel him grab my leg as he swung me into, or rather, through another wall, releasing me as I picked up speed, sending me flying through the air and back onto the ground.

This was what the higher ups of the TSAB wanted? They wanted to turn me into that? I thought to myself, as my voice was not coming out. I struggled to open my eyes through the pain, only to have my vision covered with sand and blood. How many bones were broken? How much blood had I lost? Was I going to be killed here? So far away from everyone else?

These thoughts ran through my head as I saw the figure of Null Enders walk towards me. Then there he stood, towering above me. I was an idiot to have tried to take him alone. I should have realized it the first time...but...I can't die here. I refuse to die here! I won't die here!

Then, as if answering my hopes, a blue bolt struck Null Enders in the chest sending him back into the building he was brutalizing me in, followed by a familiar voice.

"Yuu-kun!"

* * *

As the Light of Beginnings vanished within the Shadow of Destruction, those left behind continue to struggle. To bring back the one who intended to sacrifice his own happiness for the happiness of those he loves. She will be the one to sacrifice for him. Next time on Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Stars: For You, For Me

* * *

Author's notes

Next Chapter will once again be from Subaru's POV. I don't think I'll ever right in first person again after I finish this, it's too constricting.

Once again, please review. It helps me concentrate.


	23. For You, For Me

Author's Notes:

Three reviews...glad that chapter went over so well =D. Happy me gives you a...kinda...depressing chapter actually...my heart ached when I wrote it...though I'm pretty sentimental...

* * *

**Chapter 23: For You, For Me**

A day has past since Yuu-kun and Null Enders vanished in the sphere along with the entire island, leaving a strange massive crater in the water that would not fill up. The massive ship, The Martyr's Rebellion, also vanished completely from the face of the planet, like it was never really there in the first place.

The entire area has been sealed off by the TSAB preventing anything from getting near the island as the scouts ships that tried to examine the area were destroyed by an unknown force when they entered the crater's boundary.

"Even though you understand that, why are you here demanding that I do something?" Asakura-san said without turning in her chair.

"But you said you were here to help right?" Sakura-chan asked as her mother held her shoulders to keep her from running up to Asakura-san, with Shichiro-san doing the same to her.

"And helped I did. I saved your lives from the missiles, I recovered Subaru Nakajima from the Cyber Knights, I assisted the TSAB in its defense and succeeded in repelling the Neo-Belkan empire and even managed to remove its leader. What more do you want?"

"Onii-chan...please find Onii-chan..."

Tea, Alex-kun, Eric-san and I were at the back of the room near the door as we silently watched Sakura beg her with tears in her eyes for help in finding Yuu-kun.

"There are currently no clues as to his whereabouts and the only location that has any clues is currently under strict surveillance. Allied or not, this ship is still a Neo-Belkan vessel. If we were to carelessly act we may end up shot down. How many more of my soldiers need to give their lives for this? They're not dolls or tools of war any more than the man beside me or the girl at the door is."

I shifted uncomfortably as she indirectly mentioned me.

"From the start, our only goal was to stop Null Enders from coming to be. We could have taken the easy way and removed him by eliminating Kimura Yuuki, but we...I didn't want to punish someone for acts he would never had committed had others not pushed him to do so. So I took the long road and did my best to remove the events that would have lead him down that path...but in the end, he chose to remove himself. Your brother chose this path. You all must learn to live with it."

"How can you say that?"

I couldn't stay silent any longer.

"You wanted him to live too didn't you? Isn't that why you kept him from trying to leave in the first place? Isn't it because you-"

"That's enough...Subaru Nakajima..."

Ghost, who had not moved an inch since we entered finally spoke up. I was glad he stopped me since I felt like I was going to say something I was going to regret.

"This meeting is over...please return to your rooms..."

It wasn't an order, but a request, one which we all obliged.

As we headed over to the wing of the ship that had been cleared for our use, Shichiro-san pulled me over to the side.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No...I just wanted to talk for a bit," he said.

We ended up in the cafeteria where he placed a cup of coffee down in front of me before sitting on the seat across the table from me.

"I never really got the chance to say this...and though this may not be the most appropriate time, I feel like this may be the only chance I'd get...but 'Thank you.'"

"For what?" I asked, slightly confused.

"For a lot of things really," he said as he placed both his hands around his cup. "For talking with Sakura and convincing her to get prosthetics, allowing her to walk again. For being there for Yuuki when we, his family, could not. And for convincing him to return home."

"Oh no...I didn't really do much...Yuu-kun was able to do it on his own."

"But he wasn't able to without your push. But its funny..."

"What is?"

"That my son couldn't find a girl on his own planet and instead finds one from a planet who know how far away from home. He's more like his old man than I had ever thought...he was always a quiet boy growing up, did you know that?"

"No...he never really talked about himself. Only about his family."

"I see...is that how it was? And I suppose it was mostly about his mother and sister right?"

I couldn't find a way to answer him so I stayed silent, but it seems that he understood as he gave me a wry smile.

"Well that's to be expected...I never was much of a father to either of my children."

He took a sip of his drink before continuing.

"When Aoi and I began living together, she didn't know anything about life outside the military, not that she didn't try. The first few months were a bunch of mishaps as she tried to become the ideal housewife. Unfortunately, she was far from the ideal as one could possibly get. Everything she tried to cook was burned, whenever she tried to clean, she would break something...pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong."

I couldn't help but smile as I saw in my mind's eye Aoi-san snapping a dish she had been cleaning in two and getting flustered over it. She would kill me if I asked her about it though.

"The only thing she could do properly off the bat was sew, something she took a liking to when she was carrying Yuuki. But even with a baby in her, she was still brash and rough. Her attitude remained the same even after the boy was born. One time I offered to take him off her hands so she could rest, and she threw him at me, when she was across the room from me."

I''m beginning to see where Yuu-kun gets his durability from...

"In sharp contrast, Aoi always treated Sakura with care. Perhaps it was by then she understood what it meant to care for a newborn, or she was happy to have a daughter, either way, our family had to leave the city since the apartment we were living in at the time was too small for a family of four."

"After Sakura was born, Yuuki and Aoi fawned and spoiled her almost constantly, leaving me to work extra hard to support them. I didn't mind of course, for Sakura's constant smile was the best reward I could ever ask for, something my son shares with me as well."

"It's strange isn't it?" he added as he stared down at his cup. "Despite all our similarities, when he came home last winter, I couldn't recognize him at all. Somehow in the past three years, my son became a stranger to me. It's one thing to grow from a queit young man to an outgoing one, but for the first fifteen years of his life, I've rarely heard him laugh with such vigor or tell just crude jokes. It's like he became a different person somewhere along the line..."

"But I suppose I said too much. I probably will never find out why anyways."

"You...don't think he's..."

"I'm a former soldier myself. I find it best to have a pessimistic outlook on things like this."

"But..."

"Because for some strange reason, you always have a smile on your face when you are disappointed..."

With a soft smile, he finished his drink and left the cafeteria, leaving me with my thoughts. Kasumi-san never said anything about the difference in Yuu-kun's personality. From what I remember her saying, Yuu-kun's always been the like that...I thought back to our days at Section Six. The times where we chatted as we ate.

Then I remembered.

Back then, Kasumi-san also had one of the Devil Ärms that Yuu-kun was using now. Were their personalities affected by it?

But there wasn't anyone I could voice my suspicions to. The only person I knew that was involved was Admiral Harlaown and he's busy with other matters.

Wait, no doubt Asakura-san has been studying them as well if she had been trying to overthrow Null Enders. Maybe she has an idea. And I should probably apologize as well...

But when I got to her office, something inside told me, now was not the best time to come in. I could hear a series of bangs and crashes along with frustrated screams and someone trying to calm the other person down.

"-sakura...Captain...please calm down..."

"Don't call me that! And don't tell me to calm down! I am calm!"

The sound of glass shattering, however, says otherwise.

"What wass the point of all this if he was going to die anyway? All the planning, all the sleepless nights, all the pain, all the false hopes...what was it all for? I don't..."

"The fault...lies with me," Ghost said. "I was the one who...allowed them to launch...in spite of your orders...I felt there was...a reason that only he knew...and understood. We both know...the man does not...do things like this on impulse...he must have saw...some great danger in leaving...Null Enders to idle...something that he had to...that he was willing to...give his life to stop."

Before I knew it I had placed my ear against the door, trying to catch as much of the conversation as possible.

"Yes...I know that. To him the lives on this ship mean more to him than his own. Unfortunately, his life is just as valuable to them."

"That is why...we should find a way to locate him...should we not?"

"Locate...?"

"It is a lesson I have learned...during the war...one should not count...another dead...unless their body...lies cold in front of them. Thus...I will continue to assume...Kimura Yuuki...is still alive..."

The door suddenly opened as I lost my balance and fell flat on my face at Ghost's feet. Looking up, I saw Asakura-san sitting with her arms crossed in her chair and Ghost looking down at me.

"Don't you agree...Subaru Nakajima?"

"Ye-yes..."

Glancing around the room I noticed multiple decorations and devices smashed against the wall and floor, victims of the outburst from earlier.

Then a small holographic figure arose from Asakura-san's desk.

"Reporting, Captain," it said.

"What is it?"

"We have reached 'The Sphere of Influence' and are awaiting orders."

Asakura-san said nothing but turned her gaze slowly away from the display and toward Ghost, who returned it.

"What is this?" she demanded.

"An...initiative," Ghost said in his normal monotone. "If you are unable...to continue ordering your troops...to their deaths...then I will take the burden...of your shoulders..."

Asakura-san didn't say anything but continued tapping her finger on her desk in thought.

"Captain?" The man on display asked.

"Are you prepared...Kämpfer?"

"Yes, my captain."

"Do it..."

The Kämpfer nodded his head and the display vanished, being replaced by a view of the "Sphere of Influence" as they called it. Two blue dots were moving past larger green triangles, probably representing the TSAB ships, towards a large red circle. Then, the two dots disappeared as they reached the edge of the circle

"What was the point of that?" I asked.

The two of them didn't answer as Asakura called up the bridge.

"Has there been any change in the TSAB?"

"None ma'am," came the reply. "They are still guarding the border with vigilance.

"It seems...my gamble paid off," Ghost said with a barely audible sigh.

"Huh?"

"When your fellow mages attempted to investigate the Sphere, they exploded...violently," Asakura explained. "Both ships and humans simply exploded into a ball of flames. Even the marine life around the Sphere exploded if they even so much as grazed it. But our Kämpfer unit didn't. That means the Sphere doesn't kill our cyborgs outright, or at least not Kämpfer units. So it must be a warp of some sort."

"Th-then are you saying we can go after him?" I was about to rush out the door when Ghost placed his hand on my shoulder.

"It's not...that simple," he said.

"The TSAB are still blockading the area, it's impossible to get a ship of our size through it without suffering heavy damage. And even then there's a chance it will simply explode like the other ships.

"Then just send me!"

"Did you not hear me? I said OUR cyborgs, not a mage model like yourself."

"Then upgrade me to one yours!"

Although I was only half serious, my words silenced her as she leaned back in her chair. Even Ghost's back straightened up a bit.

"Do you understand what you are asking?" she asked, placing a hand to her forehead. "Do you know what it is you are expecting me to do?"

Before I could answer, Ghost spoke up.

"Our cyborgs are...not the same as you. Type Zeros and Numbers are created through...Pure and Clonal Culturing...both that require genetic manipulation as the cyborg develops. Soldats and Kämpfers are created by...using a mechanical skeleton and creating...the rest of the body with...synthetic and and natural flesh...one cannot just upgrade to cyborg..."

"Then there's nothing we can do?"

"If there was nothing...the Captain wouldn't be under such duress...after all...we do have...had...one Type Zero in our army..."

"Ah..."

That was right...I had completely forgotten about the person currently lying under covers in the morgue...

"I'm...I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking," I said softly.

But Asakura-san didn't say anything as multiple displays popped up around her. The displays showed a desert like planet with the ruins of buildings.

"What's this?" I asked, curiously.

"The Kämpfer we sent was a Scout class. When Scouts are neutralized, everything they see is immediately sent back to their home base," Asakura explained, shifting through the images with a sharp wave of her hand as if she was flipping through the pages of a book.

"The remains of an...ancient civilization?" Ghost asked as he returned to Asakura-san's side. "So then it really is...a portal for Cyborgs..."

"'A portal for cyborgs,' huh? Then it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that this planet is the origin for Combat Cyborgs."

"But that would mean...the Type Zeros were not the first."

"There is no doubt they are first. The only thing in doubt is whether or not they were the ONLY ones. Mister Scaglietti said that he merely based the Numbers on the Type Zeros. Who he received the plans from is still unknown."

"But...based on the ruins...I'd say its been over a thousand years...since that planet has died..."

"I wouldn't put it past someone who has the knowledge to create Combat Cyborgs to find a way to extend his own life. It is a popular practice for those obssessed with power after all. Though I would hope it would be more elegant than removing ones own brain and putting it in a jar."

"I've been forgotten," I thought as I watched the two of them exchange theories about my origins as if I wasn't there. But I was also interested in the planet. It just made me want to go even more.

"But...where exactly is this planet?" Ghost asked.

"It seems the beacon that was placed was destroyed...either by falling debris, or the sand is blocking the signal...going the long way isn't going to work."

"So you do plan to look for him?" I asked quickly.

"I believe...it is worth a try..." Asakura-san replied slowly, propping her chin up with one of her hands as she slowly tapped her desk with one of her fingers again.

"Is...is there any other way, that I might be able to take part?" I asked carefully, not wanting to upset her any further today.

"I...can think of one way..." Ghost said as he looked down at Asakura-san who returned his gaze in cofusion.

"What are you thi...oh no...you can't seriously be suggesting..."

"My Captain...the two of us have already...risked everything in the name...of this operation. You must give Subaru Nakajima...the right to do so as well...she should be the one to choose her path...and have all options in front of her..."

Asakura-san leaned back in her chair and spun it around so that she was facing away from me, as if she was unable to look at my face.

"If we were to attempt to restart my old project...we may be able to do it in a way to get you safely through 'The Sphere of Influence' as something similar to a Titan."

"But...?" I asked carefully.

"Every Titan unit...has lost a sense of purpose for anything except serving Null Enders to the death. That was true for the men and women behind the armor in the first place, but the Armor drove the sense to near fanatical levels, at the same time, giving them more than enough power to do so. If we...if I were to attempt such a thing on you, there may be a risk you would dedicate yourself to nothing but warfare, sacrificing the...'normal' life you so miraculously found for yourself."

"Even without that, there is also the risk that your Combat Cyborg ability will be permanently activated. That would be a shame wouldn't it? To save him, only to be unable to be with him ever again..."

"Dedicated to warfare?" I asked looking at Ghost for clarification.

"You'd be unable to relax anywhere...but on the battlefield. You would plot...to wage war...for the sake of war...or any other reason..."

"Even you?"

"Yes...even me...what is your decision?"

"Of course...I'll take it."

It didn't take long for me to decide. Between my own emotions and Sakura-chan's crying face, there was only one choice for me.

"Then you will have to follow my orders without question. You will be paitent and not question anything that I say. Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Then you may leave while I prepare for the procedure. Report to room D4 tomorrow at 0800 Mid-Childa Standard for the procedure."

"Understood."

As I left the room, I glanced at Ghost trying to show my gratitude and he nodded in reply.

I was lying on a cold yet somewhat comfortable operating table tying my best not to look into the bright light above me. Beside me was Asakura-san along with a few of her assistants. She was washing her hands as the assistants were busying themselves with the set up. Finally she came over beside me and I looked up at her yellow eyes through her mask but I couldn't tell her expression.

"This is your last chance to change your mind," she said, placing her hand on my head and tiliting it slightly as she examined it.

"I won't change my mind," I said confidently.

She didn't say anything as I feel something tightening around my wrist and legs.

"Umm...what's this for?" I asked.

"So you don't suddenly jump out of the bed."

"Is...is this going to hurt?"

She didn't respond as she turned around, reading a datapad on a stand behind her.

"It's going to hurt isn't it?"

"Oh yes..." she said softly. I feel like she's grinning behind that mask of hers.

"Oh no..."

"Onee-chan!"

"Subaru!"

Two voices came from the doorway as the assistants suddenly flocked toward it, keeping the two from entering.

"This is a sterilized environment,"Asakura-san said as she walked toward them. "Please refrain from making my job harder than it already is."

"What are you doing to Onee-chan?" I heard Sakura-chan ask.

"This was her choice. We found a way to track Null Enders and Kimura Yuuki. Subaru Nakajima insists on being part of the search team and this is the only way to increase the chance that she gets through unharmed."

"Then why are you keeping a secret from us?" Tea demanded.

"To prevent something like this from happening," Asakura-san said. She sounded annoyed that her plan didn't seem to work. "The longer you delay this, the longer you delay this operation, the longer you delay the search operation."

The two of them seemed to have quieted down as I heard another new voice speak up.

"We've brought what you asked for, Captain."

"Good, move her beside the patient."

There was a shuffle of feet as people moved out of the way as something was wheeled into the room and placed to my right. Glancing over I see what it is.

"What is this?" Tea asked before I could.

"The...other Onee-chan?" Sakura-chan's voice sounded quiet.

"G1...take them outside," Asakura-san said as Ghost's voice came to my ears.

"Understood," he said softly. "Come you two...I'll answer your questions...leave her to her work...so we can hurry and save...Kimura Yuuki."

As the door closed, the assistants and Asakura-san came and formed a circle around me and Blau.

"I'm going to explain to you what we are going to do," Asakura-san said as she pulled the cover off of Blau. "We are going to use Defender Blau as a base for your operation. I looked over the notes of the fools who dared to revived her to see that it was filled countless days and weeks of trial and error before she was a success, much longer than Defender Apfel took. This means that this will be the first time I will be attempting such a thing. That means there is little chance of success, and an even smaller chance of you surviving. So this will be the final time I will ask this: Do you wish to continue?"

I looked over from Asakura-san to Blau. I remember our fight and how she just wanted to be with Null Enders, how she had successfully convinced him to stopped...and how she had died again protecting him...I want that kind of conviction as well.

"Yes...please do it," I said, my voice sounding extremely dry and nervous.

"Then...I shall begin."

A device came down from the ceiling and covered Blau's face as it began to light up. Asakrau-san pushed my face into the light as a similar device came down and covered my own. I began to feel extremely scared.

"We are ready, Captain."

"Umm...no anesthetic?" I croaked out.

"This IS the anesthetic..." Came her montone reply. "Do it."

The next instant I felt a surge coming into my head. It was extremely painful and I couldn't tell if I was screaming from the pain or not. Everything became silent as I felt myself being pulled away from my body.

There was a commotion.

It sounded like it was close to me, and at the same time, so far away.

I wanted to open my eyes, but it felt there were weights attached to them.

I could hear them...the voices in front of me.

I feel like I know one of them.

A kind, warm and familiar voice.

One that I hadn't heard in what seemed like ages.

But the voice was far from kind. It sounded angry. No...furious.

There was a crash, like glass breaking. Something was being thrown around.

What is going on? What is happening? Why can't I open my eyes?

And then I hear it. That voice again. It is so much clearer now.

"Are...are they...conscious?" the voice asked. It was a man's voice, disorientated like he was speaking through something.

"My lord?" A woman's voice this time, with the same distortion.

"I asked...do they have a pulse? Are they alive?"

"You...you're not suggesting..."

"I asked you a question!" the man was yelling now, but he seemed to have realized it. When he spoke again he sounded much more controlled. "Please... I need to know..."

Footsteps. Followed by a small series of beeps and finally...I was able to open my eyes, to see the ones speaking in front of me.

I was in some sort of container, floating amongst some green liquid. I see the one who was talking earlier. A man, wearing a black and white mask stood in front of others wearing dark gray ones. He took a few steps closer, his body was visibly shaken.

"How...why...when?" he asked as he pressed his hand upon the glass in front of me.

"I found the log," the woman's voice replied. "It seems...that someone handed them something called 'The Mirage Theory' and delivered them the bodies of Teana Lanster and Subaru Nakajima for the purpose of making the theory a reality."

"Bodies of...you mean...these aren't clones?"

"No my lord..." the woman sounded nervous now. "They...actually succeeded...in reviving the dead."

The reason for her nervousness came clear in a matter of seconds.

The man's breathing could be heard by everyone in the room. Even the masked soldiers took a few steps back as the man's shoulders moved up and down, synched with his short and rapid breaths.

He then drew a gun and walked somewhere out of my sight and several loud cracks could be heard before he returned, dropping the gun at his feet.

"My lord...if I may speak?" the woman asked.

The man didn't say anything but looked at her to show that he acknowledged her.

"I...I think we should...the dead deserve there rest, sire..."

He kept his silence as he turned back to me, and then he focused his gaze on something to my left.

"Activate them."

"My lord?"

"That is an order! Do not test my patience now, Professor..."

"...Yes...sire..."

And then, my eyes closed again.

When the darkness broke, I found myself sitting on a metal chair, dressed in nothing but a short robe that didn't go down as far as I would like, with a lot of wires attached to my body. Looking to my left, I see an orange haired girl, shifting her legs uncomfortably.

"I know, it is uncomfortable, but please endure it," a voice said. It was the woman's voice I heard just a bit earlier. Before I wondered what she meant, a quick jolt ran through my head, and then my arms, and then my legs.

"How...is it?" a man's voice came through.

"About the same as yours was...except this is more complete..."

"I see..."

"I'm sorry, I should have tried harder..."

"No...you were working alone...they had a team and were...were in this field...longer than you were alive..."

"But..."

However the woman didn't say anything after that as the jolts continued to run through my body.

"Did you manage to confirm it?"

"Yes...the graves...were empty..."

"Then...they really are..."

"I should be glad...that I gave my report through a screen...rather than to his face..."

But the woman didn't say anything, so the man spoke up again.

"It's like...looking into the past. He must have been furious...when he saw them..."

"That was the first time I have ever seen him truly angry," the woman said. "I've seen him annoyed and upset before...but never truly angry."

"I've seen him angry once before...and that time...he tore a hole in the side of a building...fortunately...he was inside the building...and the rubble did not hit anyone outside when...it flew out...from your report...it seems that he was...just barely in control...of his anger..."

"If he had tore a hole in that building he might have killed one of them."

"That...is the last thing he would ever do...no matter what he is now..."

"I know...I know..."

Looking up, I see two people looking down at me from behind a window.

"It seems she has noticed us..."

"She's looking at us sure...but I wonder if she can truly register us. They're little more than infants right now. Unable to speak, unable to stand by themselves, unable to remember anything. I want to help them...like they helped him..."

"But...it will make that...that much harder...when the time comes..."

"I know...I know..."

Again...my consciousness returned to me at a different time and place.

I was running on some machine with wires hooked up to me. The girl with the orange hair was doing the same thing. My eyes were drawn toward the display in front of me.

20kpm. 2:49:39. 155bpm.

I see the numbers but they mean nothing to me.

"That's good, keep up that pace for another ten minutes..." the woman's voice rang through my ears again.

""Understood.""

The orange haired girl and I spoke at the same time, but there was no trace of exhaustion or emotion.

"It seems you are making some progress," a man's voice came through the speaker. It was the same man from the first scene.

"Yes my lord." The woman replied.

Looking around, I see them above us again.

"From your reports...it's hard to believe only three months ago they were a little more than infants. This is much faster than I could have hoped from you."

"Yes...but they still are unable to grasp emotions properly."

"Emotions?"

"Yes...right now they are are about the same as the basic Soldat."

"But what does a soldier need with emotions?"

"You...you plan to put them in the army, my lord?"

There was a long silence before the man spoke up again.

"No...no I do not."

"Then may I ask, what your plans are?"

"I'll have them as my Royal Guard. My Defenders..."

"Then shall they be granted names?"

"...What are you calling them now?"

"Just by the color of their hair, my lord..."

"Not...by their names? Why not?"

This time it was the woman's turn to be silent.

"From your reaction at the Rebels' base...I was under the impression...that these women were from your past...and that you did not wish to be reminded of it."

She chose her words carefully as she did not break eye contact with her liege.

"You...would be correct. Do not delve any further than you already have. Any information you have is to be sealed. Understood."

"Yes...my lord..."

"Also...be sure to issue both of them a MASC. They are, under no circumstances, allowed to take it off in my presence. Make it absolutely clear to them."

I could feel the man's eyes burning a hole in my body as everything faded to black.

"Bwaaaah! Why do we have to wear these stuffy equipment?"

"Whew...it can't be helped. It's our orders after all. Just be glad we're allowed to remove them at all, Blau."

"Apfel...you're so by the book. Can't you loosen up a bit?"

"As a member of the Royal Guard, we can't afford to loosen up."

I was standing next to the orange haired girl, Apfel, as we were changing out of some bulky ceremonial uniform into much more comfortable clothing.

"Uggh...standing up there with all those people sucking up to the emperor...it's amazing he can deal with all of that," "I" said as I closed the locker in front of me.

"Although I shouldn't say it, it seems that he can't deal with it," Apfel replied, as she picked up her bag and headed toward the door.

"Eh? How can you tell?"

"His left hand was gripping the arm rest so hard, it was about to snap."

"Hmm...I suppose even an emperor can get angry."

"That's not him being angry. You girls haven't seen him angry."

The two of us turned around to see a tall armored man walk up to us.

"Major Lee," Apfel said as the two of us saluted him. "What do you mean?"

"Us Titans have been with the Emperor since the beginning. When the man is angry, a world would burn. You've heard of "The Burning Christmas" right?"

"That was the final days of the war against the former Time Space Administration Bureau correct?" I asked. "They're first Administrative Planet Mid-Childa was razed and their Space Headquarters was destroyed right?"

"Correct. That's what happens when he's angry. He headed down to the planet believing there was going to be a peace treaty, only to find that it was a trap."

"He believed that the Bureau would want peace?" Apfel asked.

"The ones who brought him the news were former comrades," Major Lee said clenching his fist. "One of them was even our former Vice-Captain. And they betrayed him. That's why he burned their world. I'm amazed he decided to rebuild it afterwards. If it was anyone else, with the power we had back then. The planet would have met the same fate as non-administrated world #97. Be reduced to space rocks."

"Then you three should be glad that it wasn't," a familiar voice said.

Behind the major, was a masked woman that barely stood to his shoulder was walking down the hallway. The large Titan stepped to the side and all three of us saluted her.

"Professor Asakura. What did you mean ma'am?" he asked.

"They were found on Mid-Childa shortly after the end of the war," she explained as she walked past him, not taking her eyes off her datapad. "If it had been destroyed, these two wouldn't be here as an excuse for you to skip your patrol duties."

The Titan swore under his breath and gave a small nod to us before walking down turning down a corner and disappearing from sight.

"As for the two of you..." she said turning to us. "You may want to put your MASCs on."

"Huh?"

A short gasp barely escaped my mouth before Apfel dived into her bag and slammed a metal mask on my face before quickly wearing her own. Moments later, after I had adjusted my mask so I could see properly, we could hear footsteps coming from the direction that Major Lee had gone down.

A man in jet black robes with a silver trimming was walking down the hallway ignoring everything around him, including the three of us. I held my breath as he walked past me but he didn't even look or acknowledge that any of us were there. After his footsteps disappeared, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess he was annoyed at the proceedings after all," I said turning to Apfel.

"If only that were the only thing..." The Professor said softly.

"Do you know what's going on?" Apfel asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say," she said as she pressed a few buttons on her datapad. "Why don't the two of you go and comfort him?"

"Ahhhaaaa why do I have to bring him his lunch? My face still stings from yesterday...didn't have to hit me just because I wasn't wearing the MASC...he'd be so much cooler if he didn't have a stick up his butt..."

I was complaining to myself as I rolled a food cart down an extremely decorated hallway, stopping in front of a doorway that was almost three times my size. I knocked on the door and slowly opened it, only to find that the emperor was asleep in his bed.

"He even wears that MASC to sleep?" I whispered to myself as I set his food on the desk that sat underneath a large map consisting of multiple planets and stars. "What does he even do here?"

I sat down on his chair and looked around. There were multiple datapads as well as stacks of paper, neatly placed on the desk. The only thing that really caught my eye was a prism near the far corner of the desk.

"Why have a photo display frame if you're just going to leave it off?" I asked sounding just a bit annoyed. Standing up, I walked around the desk and picked it up. "Let's see...you turn it on by twisting this end and...ah..."

What was on the picture surprised me. Three people were standing in front of a large building, wearing a brown uniform that wasn't a part of the Neo-Belkan empire. The blue haired girl looked extremely like myself but my hair was a lot longer. The orange haired girl looked like Apfel, but she was smiling, something she would never let anyone catch her doing. And then the man in between them. Who was he? I feel like I know him. I've never seen him before, and yet my chest was aching. I took the photo over to a mirror and removed my mask, looking at my reflection and then at the photo.

Again, the girl looked just like my reflection but with shorter hair. But I have never once had my photo taken, at least not one to my knowledge. My head began to hurt and my sight began to blur.

"Who are these people?" I asked, clutching my eye with one hand as I held the photo in the other. "Why...do I know them?"

Looking back at the mirror, something blood red was glowing behind me. Fearfully, I turned around to see my emperor, awake, and most likely furious.

"M-my lord! I...I was just bringing...ah!" I stammered as I tried to replace my mask but I dropped it at his feet. "I'm sorry! I'll just be...!"

I tried to pick it up but he placed his foot on it, and smashed it underneath. He then drew his hand back and I tensed up expecting to be struck only to hear the mirror shattering behind me, causing me to drop the photograph as well.

The photo displayed itself and the two of us looked down at it, which only seemed to enrage him even furhter.

"I...I was just..."

"Leave...now..." he said softly.

"My lord...who exactly are those..."

"I said...OUT!"

The mirror behind me fell out of its frame and shattered on the floor, bringing me back to my senses as I ran out of the room, leaving the seething emperor to himself. I ran until I was as far away as possible from his room and slumped down agains the wall, with my legs up to my chest. Tears were streaming down my eyes, but I couldn't tell if they were from fear or from something else.

I stayed there for a long time. I didn't know how much time past, but before I realized it, the sun was setting in the window across from me. Then I heard footsteps coming my way. But they were neither the heavy armored steps of a Titan nor the emperor's so I didn't feel the need to stand up and relocate myself.

"Defender Blau..." came a soft voice. "Look at me."

Following the voice's instruction, I looked up to see the Professor standing above me. She extended her hand toward me and I grabbed it and she pulled me up and started to lead me somwhere.

I was back in the lab, hooked up to a machine with wires extending from my head and wearing a strange device on my head.

"You've really done it now," The Professor said softly. "How did a simple food delivery as an apology end up with him ordering me to wipe your memory?"

I looked up at her in horror, but I couldn't move as I was restrained to the device.

"I ...I was just..." I tried to explain myself but fear kept my words from coming out.

"Take your time," she said softly. "This can wait. Tell me what happened."

"I...I delivered the food to his room like...like I was ordered. But he was sleeping...so I left the food on his desk. I...I know I should have left right away but...there was a deactivated PDF on his desk...and...it caught my interest..."

"What did it show?" The professor asked, as she sat up straight in her chair.

"There...there were three people in it...wearing a uniform I've never seen before...they...they looked like...two of them looked like...Apfel and myself...the third...I have never seen him before...but I...I felt like I knew him. Professor Asakura...you know don't you? Who were those people? Who...am...I?"

"There is no need for you to know," she replied coldly. "You are going to lose your memory anyway, so you don't need to know something you won't ever remember."

"No...please...I don't want to..."

"You'll revert to a state similar to when you were first activated. Though I wonder if you even remember that far back."

"No...I don't want to forget...please don't make me forget! I don't want to forget again! Please don't!"

"I'm sorry..."

A sharp pain ran through my head as small little hands wrenched my eyes open as a panel dropped in front of my eyes and a red beam began shining into my eyes.

"Wake up...wake up, Defender Blau!"

Someone was slapping my face as I struggled to open my eyes. I was on the same machine as earlier but I was no longer restrained and the wires had been removed. In front of me was the professor, who was holding my head with her hands.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked me softly. But before I could answer she said, "No you don't. You don't remember who I am, who you are, and what you are doing here. You don't remember your fellow Combat Cyborgs, or your fellow Defender. You don't remember who your lord is, and you do not remember anything that has happened in the last five hours. Understand?"

"I...I..." I tried to get out the words but my throat was hurting, probably from screaming earlier. The professor seemed to see as she held a glass of water to my lips as I gratefully accepted it, coughing a bit when too much came down my throat.

"Do you understand what I just said?" the professor asked and I could only nod my head. "You must keep your actions in check from this day forward. In order to keep up with this charade, you must keep your MASC on at all times. You must obey orders without question. No matter what happens, no matter who calls out to you, you must ignore them until you meet them again for the 'second' time. You must reintroduce yourself to everyone you have ever known, and you must forget about everything you've learned about them. Cut your ties with everyone, or both of us will be punished."

I nodded my head in understanding as she finally released my head and walked back to her chair and let out a huge sigh.

"Why...?"

It was all I could ask. My body was exhausted, both physically and mentally. But the professor seemed to know what I was asking.

"I couldn't do it again," she answered. "I already had to bring you up from a mere shell to what you are today. I couldn't do it again..."

"Do...do you know..."

"Yes...yes I know who you are..." She replied, nodding her head at her own words. "Who you were...you were someone very dear...dear to a lot of people...and then you died...killed by the man who loved you more than anything else, breaking him. But right now, you are not that girl. You can never hope to be her, so do not try. Doing so will only end in sorrow. That man is also no longer who he once was. Do not try to love him because you once did. There is only a shadow. Forget about that...and find your own reason to continue...to live...to love him...or completely lose yourself in the darkness..."

"Blau! Can't you hear me? Blau?"

I could hear Apfel calling my name as I walked down the hallway toward the lab. I had followed the professor's instructions and cut my ties with everyone. Apfel was not happy and came close to tears but she was trying her best to repair our friendship.

She finally caught up to me and grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

"Was there something you needed?" I asked as expressionlessly as I possibly could.

She wasn't wearing her mask and I was, so I could see her pained expression for a second before it vanished.

"Do you want to head to the cafeteria?" she asked, trying to put a smile on her face. "It seems that they have a new dessert in."

Before I would have answered "Yes" in a heartbeat, but I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. I had to play the cold soldier that Professor Asakura should have made me into, the one that Emperor Null Enders wanted after that day.

"I'm sorry...I have an appointment with the professor right now..."

I pulled myself from her grip and left her there as I continued down the hallway.

"...and after that we should be able to...oh, you're early."

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked when I entered the lab to see the professor talking to one of her assistants and her personal guard about a blueprint on a table.

"No, we were just about wrapping up," she said as the assistant removed the prints. "Can the two of you step out for a second? I need to speak with her in private."

The two of them saluted her and headed out the door, but I felt the red clothed cyborg's eyes rest on me for a second before the door closed behind me.

"So...about today's test...I think we should...Blau?"

I had slumped down onto the floor with my mask off and was crying.

"I can't take this...Apfel...everyone...all of my friends...I can't take ignoring them like this!" I said as I buried my face in my hands.

"You wanted your memories to remain intact...this is the price of that," the professor said emotionlessly as she placed her hand on my shoulder. "Of course...we can always go through with it...you won't have to feel this pain afterward. Is it really worth it? To keep the memory of a dead girl? Is it really worth alienating everyone?"

"If...if I forget this...it feels like...I would lose something dear to me..." I said softly.

"Very well...here..."

Looking up, I see Asakura-san holding a familiar prism in front me.

"That's..."

"I managed to recover it from the garbage after that day. However, the photo itself has been corrupted. You'll have to repair it yourself."

Turning it on, I can only see the occupants' legs. Everything higher than that was filled with static.

"It may not be much, but you can use this to try and keep yourself from breaking down again like this."

"Thank you...thank you..."

"Don't thank me. We still have to do today's test..."

"My lord!"

The smell of blood and smoke reached my nose as I ran past the Soldats that were holding me toward the man that was lying on the ground, clutching his head in pain. His body was being enveloped in a cold darkness. I tried to hold him but the handcuffs prevented me from pulling my hands apart.

"Damn it!" I screamed as I began pulling my already injured hand out of the cuffs, clenching my teeth as my skin tore against the side of the metal. I then gently held my emperor's head in my arms as I tried to calm him down. "My lord...please calm down. You didn't kill her...she's still alive...listen to my voice...and the beating of my heart...breathe in slowly...and then out."

"I didn't want to...I had no choice...she was going to...I had...I couldn't..." he said hysterically as I tightened my grip on him.

"Please...forget about that...and try to focus on my voice..."

As I spoke to him I could hear the professor's guardian order the Separatists to form a perimeter around us. I should be thankful he wasn't trying to shoot us right now. Then, I could feel my lord's breath slow down as he began to realize the situation.

"Defender...Blau...?" His voice was rasp and almost deathlike. But he was there, in my arms, searching for a way back.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Why can't you follow my orders? Why have you returned?"

It was not what I wanted to hear, but I need to help him right now. I can only speak my true feelings. Something I've been hiding from everyone, even myself for so long.

"I can't ever abandon you...I care too much about you...not as a vassal...not as a Mirage...but as myself...I want...I need you...to need me..."

I didn't care how I was going to be punished after this. I only want him to survive. I grabbed a EMC from my pack and inserted into the area over his heart.

"They are nothing...but the meaningless feelings of a dead woman..."

"But they are also mine..."

"Only a fool...can continue to care for...the man that killed her..."

"Well...I'm sure she realizes she is a fool..."

I turned toward the girl that I used to be, the one I could never hope to be again. She had endless courage in her and she was able to have her feelings returned by the man she loved.

"Even so...my time is running out...you can see can't you?" my lord asked me. "This was to be my last battle..."

"And it is...we have lost," I said, helping him to his feet. I wasn't going to let him die on his own. "Our fleet has been routed and the Martyr's Rebellion has been forced planet side."

"And once again...I am a man without power..."

"Apfel and I...will always stand by your side my lord...whether you command us or not...you don't need to continue fighting...is...is living your final days peacefully...impossible?"

He looked into my eyes like the time I had intruded into his past. But this time there was no anger, only a soft resignation.

"I...guess...that wouldn't be...so bad..."

His guard had vanished and through his mask I could feel his eyes inviting me. I wasn't quite sure, but I raised my hands up and touched his mask. He didn't push me away and even gave me a small nod, but when I moved my hands to the side of his mask, a warning came the other man with the same power as he did.

"_WARNING! HIGH VELOCITY ROUND INCOMING!"_

I didn't think. I just acted. I shoved my emperor out of the way and at the same time, felt a sharp pain in my chest. It hurt more than anything else I could remember. Tears were streaming down my face...I was...dying? Now? When I was so close?

I could hear many different voices, but I could no longer see. I tried to reach out to them...but I could tell...it was already far too late for me...

"Are you satisfied? Searching around the memories of the dead?"

I found myself standing in the middle of a foggy area, with someone behind me asking me a question. Turning around I see the who it was. Sitting down on the ground, her arms wrapped around her legs was Defender Blau.

"I'm sorry..." I said automatically. "I didn't mean to..."

"What does it matter now?" she said coldly. "In the end I never got anything. The one time I tried to accomplish something by myself...I end up losing everything. I was just a doll from the beginning...brought back to be used against Null Enders in an attempt to seize control. I should have just remained an emotionless doll. That way...no one would have been sad...none of this would have happened..."

"That's not true!" I shouted as I turned to fully face her. "You have just as much of a right as anyone to want happiness! No one has the right to take that from you! To struggle and find one's own path and happiness...there can't be anything wrong with that!"

"Is that why you fight?" she asked, disappearing from in front of me and reappearing behind me, standing up with her back toward me. "To find your own happiness at the cost of the happiness of others? How can a doll that was created as a war machine ever find happiness?"

"No...my power...our power was never meant to hurt anyone, it's to protect the people we care about," I said as I looked down at my hands. "It's the power to protect everyone's happiness...to break the sad reality that someone's happiness has to be sacrificed in order to keep others from suffering the same fate."

"Then...will you hear my wish?" she asked appearing in front of me, looking straight into my eyes. "Please...help him...save him from the darkness that he locked himself in. We both know he is in pain. Please release him from his pain...in anyway you can. If you can't...then end it for him. He's suffered enough. I won't ask this for free. I will lend you my power to help you help me as well as help the one you care about."

She extended her left hand out. In her hand was a her replica of Mach Caliber. Looking up at her I placed my left hand over it and wrapped my hand around it.

"For you...for me..." she said as the scene vanished before my eyes. "For him...for her...for everyone...save them..."

I opened my eyes and found myself staring at a blue ceiling lying on a comfortable bed. Looking around, I recognize the surroundings instantly.

"Hmm...? Onee...chan?" A familiar small girl lifted her head from the bed and looked at me before tearing up. "Onee-chan!"

She dived into my chest as she started sobbing, no doubt out of relief. It seems that she wasn't the only ones that had fallen asleep in this room. Her parents, Tea, and Alex-kun were also there.

I tried to give Sakura-chan a reassuring look, but she still seemed nervous.

"Onee-chan...your eyes..."

"What's wrong?"

She reached over to the nightstand beside the desk and held up a mirror. Through it, I could see my eyes...glowing a bright yellow through the darkness."How...how long have I been asleep?"

"Almost three days."

Asakura-san came through the door as everyone else began to wake up.

"For someone preparing for a rescue, you sure can sleep."

"Then..." I began as she nodded in confirmation.

"Everything was a success. In the morning, we will send you and G1 under the TSAB blockade and to the mysterious planet. Until then...rest. You'll have to get used to any new abilities on site."

Before she could leave Sakura-chan stopped her with a question. "Can...can Onee-chan be turned back to normal after?"

Asakura-san stood in the doorway with silence before stepping out, not answering the question.

"Are you...up to speed?" Ghost asked as the two of us walked down the corridors of the ship.

"More or less," I answered vaguely.

"_There is no problem!" _Mach Caliber said_._

"Hmm...at least one of you is...confident."

"Will you be okay?" I asked.

"A speech impediment...will not keep me...from my duty."

Of course it was more than just a speech impediment, but I don't think I should argue with him at this time. My stomach feels like its going to force itself out of my mouth, along with my heart. I wanted to hurry along and get this done.

"Turn right," Ghost called out to me after I had hurried past him.

"Huh? We're not going to the hanger?" I asked.

"A shuttle will be spotted too easily. We're going underwater."

He lead me toward the deepest section of the ship where a bunch of the ship crew were finishing work on something that looked like a torpedo with handlebars.

"This is..."

"A mode of often used by...soldiers on Earth. I believe its called a...Seal Delivery Vehicle...we can't afford to waste time...by swimming the distance...so we will ride this toward the...Sphere."

"Everything has been prepared, sir!" one of the crew members said to Ghost.

"Good."

His body began to glow a bright red as his cloak transformed into an armored yet still form-fitting bodysuit. There was a ring that wrapped around him like a hula hoop where strange triangle shaped devices were hanging off.

"Hurry up and ready yourself," he said as he entered the airlock where the Vehicle was being held. I nodded and activated Mach Caliber as well.

The specialized "Titan" armor that I got was similar to the Barrier Jacket, but also completely different. Instead of a headband it was a headpiece that clung around my forehead and around my chin and at the back of my head shot out two streams of energy. Instead of cloth, my body and legs were covered in hard metal and I had two revolver knuckles equipped along with a shoulder mounted cannon. Even Mach Calibur was different with being more armored and having tank treads.

"It feels...heavy," I said as I looked myself over. "And is this really necessary?" I pointed to the large cannon that was folded behind my right shoulder.

"We will find that out...soon enough won't we?" Ghost said as I climbed down with him. "Seal yourself up."

I nodded as a metal sheet extended from the head piece and covered my face. Soon my vision returned with a lot of numbers and symbols indicating where and what everything was.

"Flood the chamber!"

The airlock sealed itself as water slowly began to flood in. It was cold to the touch, almost freezing.

"Launching in...3...2...1..."

I tightened my grip on the vehicle as it was launched from the ship with Ghost hanging on the other side. As we travled through the sea, I couldn't help but notice the lack of marine life. The ocean was deathly quiet.

"Keep your eyes straight," Ghost said as we passed underneath a TSAB frigate. "We're almost there."

Then I saw it. "The Sphere of Influence."

Even though it was clear as glass, the way it stood in the water was completely unnatural, like it distorted the scenery around it.

"We're making contact...3...2...1...release the SDV!"

The two of us released our grip on the vehicle and it dropped down to the ocean floor as we continued heading toward the Sphere.

And then we made contact.

Instantly I felt the water around me disappear as I started to fall, landing in the sand, which immediately began to cling on my wet body.

"Uwaa...this feels horrible," I muttered as I tried to brush it off to no avail.

"Hmm...like we thought...there seems to be some interference," Ghost said as he tried using a device on his arm. "Beacons won't work...long range communications are out...looks like we can get back if we head backwards...scans are fried...this planet is a death world..."

"Is Yuu-kun really somewhere on here?"

"One can only hope...perhaps we should start heading west...if Kimura Yuuki was at the center...hopefully...the warp placed us in...relevant positions..."

But at that moment, the need for guessing was completely pointless. A large explosion could be seen from the direction Ghost was indicating, as large a large amount of debris and sand was sent flying through the air.

"I suppose that's a start..."

"Mach Caliber!"

"_Wing Road!_"

The speed of the new blades was amazing, almost twice as fast as the old Mach Caliber. If I weren't fastened so tightly I probably would have slipped out. I was also surprised to see how fast Ghost was moving. True to the nickname Yuu-kun gave him, he was jumping from one wall to the other, his body vanishing in between landings.

The commotion was getting louder as we got closer to the source. Buildings were collapsing as someone was fighting up ahead.

"Faster! Faster, Mach Caliber!"

"_All right, partner! Gear..._"

"Excellion!"

Above the treads a hatch opened up to reveal a pair of boosters which propelled me down the the Wing Road at even greater speed. Feeling the G-forces on my body, I pushed down on the Wing Road, allowing myself to fly through the air as the mask found my target and the shoulder cannon deployed itself.

"Magnum...Shoot!"

The blue bullet fired with amazing force as it flew through the air and hit the white angel that was bearing down on a man. As I landed near I called out his name.

"Yuu-kun!"

But he wasn't moving. I feared the worst before he finally spoke up.

"W-What the hell are you two doing here?"

His voice was ragged and he looked like he was in pain every time he took a breath.

But...he was still alive.

* * *

The Light of Creation. The Shadow of Destruction. An Angel. A Devil. Two identical souls clash with conflicting powers, fulfilling their roles laid out to them by the creator's hands. The game draws reaches its conclusion. Next time on Devil Ä rm Stars: End Game

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Author's notes

See...if there's one thing I hate about myself, it's that I crave acceptance and the spotlight while on the internet. I desire to be known. I'd love it if word got out for this fic so I could get even more readers. So how about hopping over to TvTropes and start filling up the fic's trope page? You can find it if you search "Devil Arms."

Or you know...if I could get 5 reviews on this chapter, everyone might get a big surprise.

Next chapter is gonna be really hammy and dramatic though.


	24. End Game

Author's Notes:

Screw it, I can't take it anymore. Three reviews is decent but still not quite good enough for me. I just want this thing done so I can move on with my life. Here's the last three chapters all in one go! Though I do think it's garbage...though I think half the things I do is garbage anyway...

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**Chapter 24: End Game**

"W-What the hell are you two doing here?" I asked as the two of them landed beside me.

"You were missing for over a week so we were sent in to search for you," Ghost said as he shot at Null Enders to make him pull back a bit as he and Subaru carried me away.

"A week? It can't have been that long already…" I said as I stared at Null Enders who seems to be in a defensive stance right now. Of course I was out like a light so who knows how much time has passed during that time. "But that doesn't mean the two of you need to be in here with me! Look at the state I'm in and look at him! It's too dangerous! Besides if I die…"

"That's why we're here," Subaru said cutting me off as Ghost let's go of me to keep an eye on Null Enders. She retracted her mask and moved my arm over her shoulders to support me by herself. I clenched my teeth to keep myself from crying out in pain. "We're here because we thought you were planning on doing something stupid like that!" As she looked up at me I could feel her grip around me tighten.

"And it seems our fears were correct," Ghost added looking me over. "Broken left arm...five snapped ribs...a fracture in the right forearm...dislocated right shoulder...a small concussion...and two missing teeth..."

"Well sorry for losing my perfect smile..."

"Practically a dead man walking...this should ease the pain..."

Ghost's arm glowed a bright orange as he waved it above my body and I could feel some of the pain disappearing.

"But…if I can't even fight on the same level…what hope do you guys have?"

"Don't think we didn't come prepared…Claw Bits!" Something flies from the ring on Ghost's back and flies towards Null Enders who takes a step back in caution. "Blaster Mode!" They begin to shoot at him but Null Enders dodges them and minimizes his damage. "Assault Mode!" Half of the bits flipped around and held the beam in place turning it into a blade and tried to stab Null Enders while Subaru carried me over to the ruins of a building so I could rest.

"You look different…did you change your hair?" I joked as we got inside, not that I could really see anything but a blurry figure anyway.

"Asakura-san did a few…modifications," Subaru answered as she looked down at herself.

"Why would you go so far? I have everything under control!" I insisted as I tried to stand up by myself but without the use of my arms for balance I couldn't even raise my head off the ground.

"Obviously not!" She said as she helped me seat myself on some rocks. "Ghost and I know we won't be able to stop Null Enders, but at the very least we can give you enough time to rest." She turned and faced the direction of the small explosions and lights and started walking towards it. Jets of blue light burst from her headgear and skates as she prepared to head off.

"Will you be able to change back?" I asked hesitantly, fearful of the answer she might give me.

"Of course, don't worry about it," She answered me with a bright smile.

As she headed off to help Ghost, I let out a small sigh and let my head fall back and hit the cold stone. She is a terrible liar…

I tried to relax but it's hard just sitting around breathing in hot air and sand. I couldn't even breathe without the feeling of knives being driven into my lungs. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just move my arms and rub my ribs...

A small beeping noise finally caught my ear. I nervously turned my head around expecting another explosive, but it was just a...actually...

"What is that thing?" I asked out loud. It looked like a steel box of some sort. It then opened up and started unfolding revealing some kind of monitor that flickered to life, at first showing nothing but static but then the image revealed itself, depicting Subaru and Ghost struggling against a dominating Null Enders.

Null Enders was still fighting bare handed, like he didn't feel the need to fight them at full strength. Not to blow my own horn or anything...but if he didn't need them to beat me to a bloody pulp, he wouldn't need them to fight those two.

I watched as one of Ghost's claw bits flew in to strike Null Enders, who countered with a simple punch. The tip of the energy blade made contact with his fingers for about three seconds before the metal base began peeling backwards, causing the blade to disappear, and the drones to explode.

Then Subaru appeared behind him and tried to punch him with her right arm, the gears spinning to the point they were glowing red.

"Oscillating...Breakeeer!"

The fist made contact with Null Enders's back, lifting him up off the ground, a large stream of light blue energy erupting from her fist. But in an unbelievable display of agility, Null Enders managed to spin his body, knocking Subaru's hand to the left with his right hand, minimizing the damage he took from the attack to almost nothing, and threw a punch with his left hand, cracking Subaru's mask as she flew toward Ghost, who caught her body, but the force cause his feet to slide through the ground.

"Are you injured?" Ghost's voice was disorientated with static. Seriously, the quality of this display was like that of an antique TV.

"I'm...I'm okay...I think..." Subaru said as she removed the rest of her mask, and carefully brushed the shards that were embedded into her cheek out of her skin.

Null Enders then sped toward them, his left fist glowing with white energy. Ghost tossed Subaru into the air as five of his claw bits created a pentagon shaped barrier in front of him, successfully blocking Null Enders's attack...and then Null Enders swung his right hand.

An enormous beam erupted from his fist, overwhelming the barrier as Null Enders's first attack continued, striking Ghost square in the chest, blasting him through three buildings before crashing into a fourth, having it collapse on top of him. That can't be good for the man's lungs.

"Ghost!" Subaru called out as she tried to get to him using her Wing Road. But Null Enders flew up and cut her off, grabbing her shoulder cannon and tossed her back down to the earth, ripping off the cannon in the process.

What the hell is this...? I'm weak. I can't fight, I can't move, hell I can barely even breathe. How the hell is this broken body going to protect anyone? The hell was I doing this for anyway? And now I have to sit back while those two get killed struggling against that god-like being? I...I need power.

_What is your desire?_

A familiar voice rang in my head. But instead of an obnoxious Crow familiar, I see the black shadow from my "dream."

_Do you want power?_

"Yes."

_Power to make anything possible?_

"...Yes"

_Are you willing to give your body up?_

"Yes!"

_Very well...remember...this was YOUR choice._

The shadow extended his arms and dark lines extended from his fingertips and embedded themselves in my hands.

I felt a sharp pain in my arms as they forced themselves to move, ignoring the fact that one was broken and the other was connected to a dislocated shoulder. My arms, or rather, the Devil Ärms forced me to float off the ground as I began to feel something hot flow through my body. It felt like my insides were being rearranged as I feel something crawling...slivering...sliding beneath my skin. Then just as suddenly as it arrived, it disappeared, along with any feeling I had in my body.

Then...I felt pain. Only pain.

The wounds that had been sealed by Ghost began to open up as something began to pour out. It wasn't blood, it was too black to be normal blood. The black liquid began to cover every inch of my body.

_Choose a form...a symbol in which you shall wield this new found power. Then bathe yourself within this black blood!_

Something to represent my strength? There was only one thing that came to mind. Only one thing I saw that declared its overwhelming power in the midst of darkness.

The liquid began to take shape around my hands, forming jet black gloves with steel around my fingertips in the shape of claws. The black blood wrapped around my wrist and arms creating the sleeves attached to the gloves continuing to a dark cloak as black as a starless sky. It then crawled up my head, encasing my face in a thin film before hardening at the area around my eyes and just above my mouth.

And then the force that held me as I transformed released me and I landed on my feet. I tried to catch my breath, leaning against the fragile walls, clutching my chest. The pain I had endured before had disappeared.

_The form of the Devil that pierces through the fog and reveals a path to the future. Cursed upon the one carrying his flesh and blood so he may prevail against his other, blessed with the perfection of the past carrying machine and nerve. It's name..._

"Mill...en...nium...Millennium Form." I said, finishing the shadowy words.

Looking over myself, I was annoyed at how dark I looked. Compared to the mechanical angel that was Null Enders, I was like a flesh spawned devil, but at least my hair was white. Running my finger across my cheek, I feel the material split open, running black blood down the side of my face, before retracting itself and sealing the wound.

I could feel it...the power that could match Null Enders's Genesis Form...

_Now go...finish your role..._

With those cryptic words, the shadow vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Let's go...towards the future..."

I forced the black blood out of my back to form jet black wings, lifting my body up into the air and searched for Null Enders.

I quickly found him overlooking Subaru, who was staring him down with her back against the wall. He rushed towards her intending on finishing her off but I flew down and stopped on the ground in front of him. In that instant, our eyes met and I saw myself reflected in his emotionless red eyes.

The shock wave of my landing forced him into the air and as he landed a few meters away from me I turned around to see Subaru slowly walking up to me.

"Yuu-kun...? Is that you?" she asked slowly.

"...Yeah..." I said nodding my head.

"What is...how did you..."

"A few...modifications...is it scary?"

"No...not at all," she said shaking her head softly.

"**You..."** The lifeless and robotic voice from when Null Enders removed the stake from Blau rang in my ears as we turned to look at him. Null Enders was standing with his back straight, in contrast to me who was low to the ground with my arms ready to strike at a moment's notice. **"You evolved as well..."**

"Yeah...but I'm nothing like you..."

"**...Going on auto...won't work here it seems..."**

Null Enders folded his arms and a series of white blocks appeared in front of him, they spun around and rose up into the air, creating a sheathed sword. Null Enders gripped the sword's handle and the scabbard as he slowly drew the blade out, the scabbard bursting into flames soon after.

"**Blaze Caliber...rise up..."**

Whether of not I was confident, he seems unnerved enough to draw a weapon. Now I needed to do the same.

"Subaru! You go help Ghost! I'll keep him busy!"

"R-right!"

Looking down at my feet, I noticed a pool of black blood. It seems my wings are dripping...no matter. I placed my hand in the pool and slowly raised it up, bringing with me a black sword with a green trim.

"Blood Edge...rebel one..."

Simultaneously, the two of us kicked off the ground and clashed in mid air. Sparks flew from his blade while droplets flew from mind. We broke apart as we landed. I reformed my wings into tendrils which I tried to strike him down from a distance. He blocked my attacks by shattering his metal wings into fragments that attached together to form panels that moved in front of him in defense.

"**Rise duo..."**

Behind the metal panels I see him create a second blade and grab it with his free hand. He swung the blade sharply, flinging the scabbard at me, which I sidestepped as I charged at him.

"Change! Rebel two!"

The black blood seeped from my wings across my body and arm to my sword, extending its length into a spear. I held my new weapon up above my head to block his overhead strike and kicked him square in the chest, knocking him back. Taking advantage of the reach of the spear I kept my distance as I attacked with thrusts and sweeps and the occasional tendril attack.

But Null Enders wasn't counterattacking. He stood behind his damn near impenetrable barrier of metal feathers as he was preparing something. Then his red eyes flashed as he charged through my assault attempting to strike me directly. Even while in motion, his shield did not weaken. I buried two of the tendrils underground and popped them up right when Null Enders was around 2 meters in front of me. I managed to pierce his through the underside of his shield managing to pierce the sides his body as he threw his sword at me with a flick of his wrist, stabbing me in the arm.

But both of our injuries were mere annoyances my blood armor extended itself around the blade and absorbed it, healing me in the process while the same holographic squares that he used to create his blades appeared and pressed against his wounds before disappearing along with any trace of injury.

"I guess small things like that aren't going to cut it..."

"**My thoughts exactly...**"

As he spoke, a large magical circle surrounded us, and I found myself unable to lift my feet off the ground.

"**Calling the heavens to receive the light and cast judgment. The silver blade forged from the fires that gave birth to life..."**

Above us a giant white blade was falling from the dark storm clouds that had, dare I say, magically appeared out of nowhere.

"**The Blade of the Creation, Izanagi!"**

I didn't have time to think of my next move. I merely clenched my teeth and swung my blade down at my feet.

I found Ghost and Subaru taking cover near a collapsed building while fleeing from Null Enders. Ghost was lying on his back, occasionally shifting his body, trying to find a comfortable position to rest, while Subaru was huddled up in a corner, trying to remove the damaged parts of her armor.

She got to her feet in alarm when I touched down but her expression was quickly replaced with relief...and then horror.

"Yuu-kun...your legs..." she said softly.

"It was either that...or get hit by that monstrous sword..." I mumbled, using my tendrils to carry me closer to the two of them before dropping myself down on the sand. "There's a reason I'm not too worried about it...you might wanna look away."

I held the stump up with my hands as I began grunting in pain. The black blood seeped from the closed wound, ripping it open and began regenerating the bone, nerves, and flesh while I feel like I had just walked barefooted on heated coals with shattered glass sprinkled on them for good measure.

"And now...the other one..."

After frying my foot again, I slumped back against the rock, exhausted.

"Are you sure, you're okay?" Subaru asked as she sat down next to me.

"Yeah...just a little tired...at least we have a little breathing room now. Null Enders probably took some damage from his own attack as well..."

"But we can't afford to...spend too much time here..." Ghost said suddenly, causing me to jump a bit. "If' we are to put a stop...to Null Enders...we need to do it now..."

"But we need to hit him with something that can take out a cruiser. Anything smaller and he'll just heal it up."

"Then that will be your job..." Ghost said as he stood up. "My skills are based on precision...not raw power...and Subaru Nakajima has to close in to use her spells...if your power is even the...slightest bit similar to his...then you should have something..."

I clsed my eyes and thought hard. I searched through my memories as well as the databanks of the Devil Ärms. There...there is something...

"I think I might have something...a long range bombardment type use to attack enemy strongholds," I said as I opened my eyes.

"We'll have to bet on that...how much time do you need?"

"There is no magic energy on this planet outside of the four of us...so everything I have to use will be from my own body. My guess? Three minutes."

"Three minutes...that's a long time..." Ghost said placing his hand on his chin in thought. He turned toward Subaru who nodded.

"We can do it!" she said pumping her arms. "I know we can."

"Right!" I agreed as I stood up and braced myself to cast the spell.

"Set up commencing..."

I extended my left arm toward the direction I escaped from. It seems Null Enders hasn't moved, or wasn't able to move.

"Deploying anchors..."

A large black bow formed on the underside of my arm, its weight supported by anchors that attached themselves to the ground.

"He who calls forth the shadow of destruction to banish the light of creation...the darkness that lies within the heart of man, the fear of death..."

"Plasma Wing, Energize Mode!" I called out as my wings attached themselves to my arms as I pull back the bow. "Remember just five minutes! Go!"

Ghost rushes out of the rubble followed by Subaru on top of her Wing Road. The two of them head straight toward Null Enders who attempts to shoot them down from a far. Enhanced with their cyborg armor, the two of them react accordingly. I have to count on them to distract him for those three minutes…I focus my energy into my bow as I watch the events play out.

Ghost uses his claws to fling the rubble towards the shots while Subaru extends the Wing Road in front of the shots and as it is cut off she instantly creates another one. Both of them are not slowed down despite the fierce defensive.

"Subaru Nakajima...move!" Ghost called out as he extends his claw bits out fully. "There is no escape! Cyber Grid!"

The claws begin shooting out beams at Null Enders from all angles creating a net of beams that cut through the rubble around him. Null Enders blocks and dodges the blasts with little difficulty.

"An opening!"

Null Enders turns around to see Subaru right below him and swings his sword down on her but he strikes nothing but air.

"I'm over here!" Subaru taunted him as Null Enders swings his sword around again but misses her again and he notices two Subarus at each side.

"Divine...BUSTER!"

Two giant magic walls appear at Null Enders's side and slowly close in on him before exploding as the four Subarus leap onto a broken building become one again. "Did that work?"

As if to answer her question Null Enders appears next to her and kicks her into and through the building next to them. Ghost's claw bits appear around him again and try to gun him down but he escapes after cutting two of them off. They retract towards the main body, which has also appeared in front of Null Enders. Ghost sweeps at Null Enders's legs with two daggers he had hid under his cloak but Null Enders parries them and slams Ghost into the ground.

Right then another Wing Road flies out and slams into Null Enders lifting him up in the air as Subaru rides it straight up to him with her Revolver Knuckles spitting out used magic cartridges as she gets closer. "Gear Excellion …" she pulls back her fist as lights start to revolve around her entire body. She leaps straight up into the air and slams down upon Null Enders who pulls up a defensive barrier to counter. "STARLIGHT FALL!"

Despite the barrier, Null Enders is thrown all the way back down to Earth, and when he landed, the ground shook as if a meteor had struck it, making it seem like a star really did fall. For a moment I carelessly thought it was over, but Null Enders stood up like it was nothing. Any damage he had taken was already being recovered by his healing ability.

"**My turn…"** he mumbled as his wings spread out wide. **"Cyber Wing, Genocide Mode!"** The wings shattered and started to float around his entire body before their edges faced away from him.

"**Blessed…Fatality!"**

As his eyes glowed a blood red the feathers zoomed out like daggers, flying in different paths towards both Subaru and Ghost. The two of them tried to dodge the attack but all they could do was to defend their vital areas form being hit.

Some of the ones that missed flew toward the area I was in and started to pierce the walls and one of them got me in the arm that was holding back the arrow. The shock caused my grip to slip as well as throw my aim off slightly.

"Shit! Both of you move!"

The arrow flew to the tip of my bow and turned into a beam and flew straight at Null Enders.

Subaru and Ghost managed to avoid the shot and Null Enders also tried to dodge the beam, but it still managed to graze him and rip a bit of his arm off. But that wasn't enough….

He seems to realize that they were a distraction as he charged towards me at breakneck speed and I could feel the blood lust spilling out of his body, it was like a deer staring at a car's headlights before it hit, except I'm the deer and that car is going to more than just ram me if he catches me.

"Plasma Wing, Flight Mode!"

But it was too late. He crashed into me, grabbed a hold of my neck and used me a ram to fly out of the building. He remained stationary in the air as he tightened his grip around my neck.

"Hah…hah…hah…" My breath was failing as I tried to throw his arm off of me. My arms and legs were aching from Null Enders's attack and blood was streaming down from my forehead, and to top it all off, I have almost no magic power left and am exhausted. My arms were growing limp and my vision was blacking in and out as I struggled to remain conscious. Is this my limit?

"What are you doing? Stand up!"

A familiar voice rang in my ears as I looked towards it. I saw Kaa-san standing there with her arms crossed looking at me with expectation.

"I didn't think you were the type to let one failure keep you down. Stand up and fight! Struggle to the very end! That's what a man should do isn't that right?"

How would you know?

"Yuuki…it's to early to falter."

A deep voice came from my other side and I turned to see my father there.

"You came so far, and risked too much to give up here. Stand up and fight until you have no regrets, son."

His gentle encouragement seemed to be restoring some of my magic. I was able to feel a small rush through my veins.

"You moron! What are you doing letting him push you around?"

The familiar voice of insults from Kasumi appeared next to Kaa-san and she stood there with her hands on her hips.

"You are the only one who can stop him! We're waiting for you to put an end to something you yourself started! Don't you dare wimp out now! You're much stronger than this…"

Her voice became kinder toward the end as she smiled in encouragement.

"Sempai! Stay strong!"

Shou appears now looking somewhat desperate.

"You always stood up no matter what shoved you down. If a wall stands in front of you, just smash through it! Everyone will support you, that is why you will be able to be Null Enders, who has thrown everything away!"

Shou…you…

"Yuuki…"

Ayumi stood in front of me with her usual blank expression. She blinked a couple of times before speaking in a monotone.

"You have to win no matter what. If you don't you will make a lot of girls cry."

Heh…does that include you too?

"Yuuki-san."

Alex stepped forward from nowhere and was full of confidence.

"You taught me a lot of things about myself that I hated as well as a way for me to get around them…even becoming the first person I could really call a friend. My respect for you can't be compared to anyone else. And that is why I will support you even across the dimension. Don't lose captain!"

Oi…don't praise me so much…I'm no one special…

"Hey, Yuu-san."

Ed appeared looking as bold as ever.

"You need to stop being so cool all the time. In such a short time, you managed to weld yourself into the lives of so many people and they're all here with you right now. So you just got your ass handed a lot of expectation. Don't mess this up, partner,"

Don't throw all of it on me…I can't…I can't do it all by myself.

"You're not by yourself Kuro…no…Yuuki."

Teana showed up with some hesitation but she shook her head and her eyes became filled with determination.

"Subaru is still out there, fighting, hoping to give you a chance to get back out there and stop Null Enders. The two of you…are both very important to me…so please…come back safely."

Teana…

"Onii-chan…beat him up!"

Finally, Sakura appeared in the center of everyone looking at me with her eyes full of tears as she shouted with all of her might.

"I want Onii-chan to come home. I don't want you to disappear again. Please…come home!"

"I…I…" My voice managed to escape from my crushing windpipe as I grabbed onto his arm with renewed force. "I want…to come home too. I want to return to a place where everyone is waiting for me. And to do that…I can't stop here…I won't stop here! I'll take my fate and crush it! Nothing is going to stand in my way!" I crushed his arm enough for him to loosen his grip around my neck and threw him over my shoulder straight down into the destroyed building.

As the smoke cleared I saw that he remained on his feet, but this time I could see a small sign of weakness.

"You are a figure of my future…someone who has thrown away everything in order to protect it…that I understand! However, that is not the way to do things! No matter what happens be it a tangible force or even death, a true bond between humans can never be broken! You, Null Enders, have forgotten this and let yourself be trapped in the past unable to move forward, always trying to walk backwards on the path toward the future., shutting out others and forever containing your emotions behind a mask. Returning to the past is impossible! Even though you may travel back those emotions…those memories…the pain of the past will always be there! But we are human…no matter how much pain we feel, even to the point where it seems that it can crush you…stand tall! And continue your march towards the future! The Genesic Form symbolizes your endless desire to reset your life, while my Millennium Form represents my desire to move towards the future! My future is already different from yours. You no longer have the power to stop me…I'll take your pain…and release you from it!"

Null Enders let out a huge roar as a giant blade formed in his hands and he jumped towards me. I formed a similar blade and charged him as well. We sped right into and pass each other and our blades collided and shattered under the pressure. Immediately and simultaneously we formed another blade and swung at each other. The hilts of the swords remained and we kept reforming the blade and smashing them against each other. Soon the sky was filled with the steel shards or our blades. For a third time, the two of us has reached a stalemate. If I just had a single opening…

And as if answering my hopes a voice rang out in the air.

"Well said…KIMURA YUUKI!"

Ghost appeared in the air above us after his extremely uncharacteristic shout. His body was a mess. There was blood flowing down him like a waterfall, his armor was cracked and chipped everywhere and even his mask looked like it was going to shatter instantly. But his fighting spirit was still there. He quickly sends his claw bits at Null Enders's hand and by what I could only describe as a miracle, pierced it, and then he himself went around Null Enders and grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms under Null Enders's shoulders and held him there.

"What are you doing? You can't stop him like that!"

"I know…Code DTD…system…start. "

His remaining Claw Bits shot out and all of a sudden, pierced Null Enders through his arms, legs and chest…with Ghost still hanging on.

"Ghost! What the hell are you doing?"

"What are YOU doing?" He shouted back as Null Enders tried to pull himself free, despite being impaled to Ghost. "I have immobilized him...you need to stop him here and now! Use that attack again!"

"But if I do that…you'll…"

"I am a Cyborg Warrior! I was always prepared to lay down my life for this! Don't waste this chance!" His voice contained his resolution, that he has accepted his fate.

"There won't be enough time to charge it!"

"Then use what's around you!"

I hesitated for a moment before raising my left arm. I can't miss this chance.

"Set up commencing…deploying anchors…Plasma Wing Energize Mode." I understood what Ghost meant by using what was around me. The broken shards of the countless swords that Null Enders and I formed.

"He who calls forth the shadow of destruction to banish the light of creation...the darkness that lies within the heart of man, the fear of death..."

Within seconds I had already received an ample supply, enough to take Null Enders down for good.

"To think…that the first person I would kill…is myself," I mumbled as I aimed my bow. Or at least…I tried to.

All the blood I had lost was slowly catching up to me. Add in the tremendous beating I took earlier along with having already fired this beam once, as using up a whole bunch of magical energy with all the swords…I'm probably at my limit. In fact, the reason I haven't fallen flat on my face yet are the anchors that are holding me in place.

"Damn it…not yet…just a little more…" Suddenly, someone grabs hold of my hand and lifts it up at Null Enders. "…Subaru…?"

She was standing at my side with a soft smile. Her headgear had been completely destroyed, one of her eyes has a huge gashing wound over it, and her devices were completely shot…but she was still willing to fight.

"Don't worry…I'll help you!" she said as her grip tightened on my hand.

"It's dangerous! The kickback of this thing could shatter your arm! I'll be fine because of my shield but…"

"So what? If an arm is all it takes to bring you home with me...I'll gladly do it!"

"Subaru..." Her will to fight is amazing...or is it her love? "Then let's do this...together!"

"That's right! If it's us nothing will be able to stop our power!"

As if responding to our call the charge began to speed up and the energy was flowing in from not just the blades but from the space itself. The destroyed buildings began to fade into light as my wings spread across the horizon. The sky itself was spread in darkness with streaks of blue lines striking across it.

"Plasma Wing! Energize Mode! OVERLOAD!" The energy charge had broken its limit and was still filling in.

"This light represents the feelings of all of those whose souls are connected through the bonds of life!" I said as the beam began to form around our hands.

"Past! Present! Future! These bounds cannot be contained even by time and space!" Subaru declared as the beam stabilized its form.

"If the world is destined to fall into darkness then that is fine! Past the darkness there is always the light! These Devil Ärms...MY ARMS...represent the hope that rises from despair!"

"Now with the bonds of fourteen souls intertwined and filled with hope! Nothing will stop us!"

Null Enders, however, wasn't going to just let us shoot him. Two blades appeared in his hands and with a flick of his wrist threw one of them at us.

"Subaru!"

"Ahh!"

But right after I warned her a shield popped up in front of us. It's blue hexagonal symbol spun slowly around us and is just able to stop the blade from hitting her. I concentrated on the sword and it slowly disassembled itself. At the same a soft orange glow shot out from the gun on my waist and hit the other sword out of his hand.

"That was...?" Subaru asked as her eyes widened.

"Was it those two?" I wondered.

"No matter the pain, no matter the hardships, no matter the costs, a true bond between souls will never break," A voiced in my head said. "A true bond transcends time, space, and even death. Those two souls are bonded very closely with your existence and their presence will always protect you."

The energy output was at its maximum. The spell was ready to be fired. Subaru glanced at me and tightened her hand around mine as we aimed at Null Enders. His body had stopped moving and his fingers stretched out as far as they could...as if he was welcoming the blast.

"Right...MAXIMUM DRIVE! CLIMATIC...BLASTEEEEEEEEEER!"

All at once the darkness that filled the sky was being pulled into my body and out my arm. The whole world was silent as the beam flew out and collided with Null Enders and Ghost and the resulting explosion blinds my vision as I feel my body being thrown backwards. I tried to keep Subaru close to me but the force was too great and I feel her separating from me and disappear into the light...

When the light died down, I found myself staring at the empty sky, my body aching all over except for my left arm, which had gone completely numb. I wasn't even able to lift a single finger from it. I turned my head to take a look.

It wasn't a pretty sight. There was blood everywhere and some of my fingers were bent horribly...but at least I still had a left arm.

I struggled to my feet and tried to keep most of my guts from spilling out of my mouth. I wiped the blood from my mouth with my right hand as I looked around. There was a huge crater a little ways in front of me, and behind me was the collapsed section of a wall carrying my body's imprint.

I made my way back to the spot where I fired the shot from and saw Null Ender's body lying near the edge of the crater. His clothes had been all but vaporized in the blast and much of his body was exposed. There were multiple blue lights running across his body and around the huge scar running down his chest from his shoulder. However the lights were fading fast.

As I got closer to him I could hear him talking. Even after firing something like that at him he was still conscious never mind alive?

His muttering was hard to make out but I could still understand it.

"...worth it...my life...was always dark...the light never appeared...it still has not...even now...Tea...Subaru...was it so...hard? So hard...to have a family? Can someone...such as I...ever have one?"

His eyes were blurry and unfocused as he was talking towards the sky. Was he feeling regret? After all that's he's done...only now does he regret it?

"I never really tried...to do it...to succeed. Using it as an excuse...I waged war upon the galaxy...I was determined to to it by myself, I didn't care as long as the galaxy survived in the end...no...as long as the world they cared about existed...I was satisfied with that...but in the end...there was no one left. My...friends...were all gone...I killed them...both by my own hands...or because of my actions...I protected the planet...and left myself a lonely shell of a man...and now my I find my part...my role in that bastard's grand plan...was to simply be a stepping stone for another to rise to power? That's fine by me...this 'me' was only just a mask created because I was too weak to move on...but they...they are strong enough...they might...just do it...survive. The horrors won't happen...can...can I rest now? Can I...be with you again?"

His eyes opened wide as the blood trickled down from his eye onto the ground. Then, as if reaching out to something, he stretched his right arm up into the sky. Then, what was left of his face broke into a pained smile.

"Looks like...it's no longer...possible...I am...alone..."

As he dropped his arm, the ground below us began to crumble.

"Null Enders!" I shouted as I ran toward his body but the ground gave away as his body fell down into the abyss. I dropped to my knees and slammed the ground with my fist in frustration. "You son of a bitch...you just had to get the last word in..."

I made my way out of the crater and began looking for the other two. I found Ghost after about fifteen minutes of searching...or at least...most of him. When I spotted his body I ran up to him and shook him until he woke up in a loud painful gasp.

"Ki-Kimura...Yuuki..." He mumbled when he saw me. His mask was cracked and his left eye was exposed. It was a deep blue color with a red light shining in the center where his pupil should be. "Where...where is...?"

He could barely speak but I knew what he was asking.

"Gone," I answered as I cleared the rubble off his body. "I don't know if he's dead or not...but his body is gone."

"I...see..." He said as he closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath but began coughing loudly. I pressed down on his chest as he calmed down.

"You...you seem sad," I said as I dragged his body out onto an area without any rubble. It was difficult with only one hand, but I got him out.

"I...may have just killed...one of...the only friends I ever had. I am...a little upset..."

"I'm sorry...because of me you're..."

"No...it was my choice...the one who..should be...the one who should...is me..."

"I'm going to remove your mask so you can breathe better..." I said as I lifted the broken parts off of him. As I did his broken face smiled at me. "Is...is there anything I can do? To help ease the pain?"

"Thank you...but it wouldn't matter...I was doomed...the minute I grabbed him...Code DTD...Dust To Dust..." he said as he lifted his left arm up. "Can you...can you see it? Is it...still there?"

It looks like he was pointing his ring finger at me. I held his hand in mine and saw a silver band wrapped around it.

"Return it...to the captain...tell her...tell her what happened..." He was coughing up blood as he talked but he was adamant about the ring. I carefully pulled it off his finger and it dropped onto the palm of my hand. I felt a little spark, but didn't pay much attention to it.

"One...last thing...I've wanted...wanted to do this...since we first met...again..." He said as he closed his fist and held it in the air.

My chest tightened in realization as I struggled to smile through the pain and tears. "Sure..." I breathed out as I held my fist up to his. But just before they could connect...his hand opened up and dropped onto the ground. "Ghost? Hey...Ghost...that's not how you're supposed to do it...come on...snap out of it...Ghost...Ghost...damn it man...Ghost...wake up you dumb ass..."

I looked at his ring in my hand and pocketed it. I then put my hand over his eyes and closed them as I stood up. Even if he had fatally injured himself...it doesn't change the fact that I was the one who pulled the trigger. I better go find Subaru before I have another dead person to shoulder...

At this point in time I was pretty scared and nervous. I was calling out her name as I was searching for her.

"Subaru! Can you hear me? Where are you, Subaru?" I was calling out at the top of my lungs but I wasn't able to get an answer or find her. "No...did I...did I kill...? Damn it! No, I can't think like that...she could still be out there I need to...I need to..."

Images of Blau's body began flowing in my head. The lifelessness, the emptiness, the coldness...the feelings of dread is suffocating.

"CALM THE HELL DOWN!"

I slammed my head against the dirt and felt my blood drip down. It hurts just like every other part of my body, but it got the blood flowing and I could think straight again.

"I need to calm down...if...if I can just use my left arm..."

I grabbed what remained of left arm and concentrated as hard as I could and managed to pull out one more sword. Let's hope this still works...

I stuck it into the ground and it sent small shock waves like a sonar. 20 degrees north...500 meters out...30 meters straight up...got it! Subaru! I broke out into a half run half limp towards the location just barely avoiding falling flat on my face.

It took me about five minutes but I found her lying underneath some rubble. Her armor and left arm were all but destroyed but at the very least she's still breathing. I won't be able to carry her too well with only one arm...maybe it won't be too bad if I just drag her a bit. I pulled her arm over my head and we hobbled out of the building and stopped.

Now that I think of it...just where are we supposed to go? I don't even know what planet we were on in the first place. Maybe there's a ship somewhere...

I turned around and nearly dropped Subaru. The ground that I had walked on to get here was gone. The whole scenery was white...I looked toward the edge and saw that the ground was crumbling. I guess this planet really was dead...shit. All I can do is head toward the opposite side and hope that its where they came in from.

I don't know how long I have been walking, but each step was becoming more draining and my body ached as I struggled pass the desert like terrain. There was only sand as far as the eye could see, making me wish there was at least a rock or something to tell me that I was going the right way. But this was the only way I could go. Everything behind me was vanishing into a void.

"Hah...hah...hah...this really...freaking...sucks..." I panted as I struggled up a small hill. "No magic to fly...to heal...nothing...and I gotta...carry ...gotta carry someone through...this damn...forsaken...desert!"

"...mgh..."

A small groan from Subaru tells me that she's still alive at least. If only I had some water, I could at least let her drink something. Hell, I could some right now myself.

"Yuu...kun..."

Subaru's voice was soft as she uttered my name. I turned my head and saw that her eyes were open, but she was barely moving.

"Yo...good morning...Sleeping Beauty..." I joked as.

"What...happened? Did..."

"We won...we beat him...he won't bother us anymore...we can go home..."

"Home...that's right...it's almost Sakura-chan's...birthday..."

"Her birthday, huh? I haven't celebrated it in three years...and she made me promise that I'd show up this time..."

"You...better..."

She smiled softly as she tried to stand on her own two feet. But she wasn't able to keep her balance and toppled over onto me, knocking me over as well. I landed on my back with her on top of me as the two of us slid back down the hill I spent who knows how long climbing.

"That hurts..." she mumbled.

"That's my line...you fell on me..." I retorted.

But the two of us barely had any energy to do anything else. We just laid there in the desert, with the red sun blaring down on us and both of our left arms were bloodied and broken. And yet we felt strangely comfortable. Despite my clothing made of blood and Subaru's armor, the two of us felt strangely at peace.

"How...how are we going to get back?" Subaru asked suddenly.

"How did you even get here in the first place?" I asked her back.

"We headed toward where the island was after it was suddenly warped. We passed through a portal and ended up here. Ghost said there was a way back...where is..."

"He didn't make it..." I answered her before she could finish the question.

Subaru looked up in shock before resting her head against my chest again.

"I see..." Her response was almost inaudible. "So we're stuck here?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I wrapped my good arm around her head as she wiped her tears on my chest. I thought back to what the shadow said in my vision. There was a way out...so "we're" not stuck here...just...

"Hey...think you can get up for a second?" I asked her and she nodded her head.

"What is it?" she asked as we managed to help each other up. "Did you think of a way to get us off world?"

"Yeah...can you hold onto this for a second?"

"Huh? What is it? A ring?"

I handed her "Ghost's" silver band and Subaru looked at it curiously.

"It was Ghost's. He wanted me to give that back to Asakura."

"Then why are you giving it to m-"

Using as little magic as I possibly could, I created a small dagger and stabbed Subaru in the thigh with it. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she cried out in pain and fell over.

"That's because...only one of us is getting off...and that's you..." I said as I reabsorbed the sword and held my hand out over her, encasing her in a pitch black cube.

"Shadow Warp...Extended..."

Placing my hand on the cube I knelt down and placed my head against it.

"Hey Subaru...can you hear me?" I asked to no reply. "Well...it doesn't matter if you respond or not...I won't be able to hear you anyways...but you should be able to hear me. I'm sorry for stabbing you...but I had to or else you would have argued and resisted this plan. You need to survive. If you die...there's nothing stopping me from becoming a second Null Enders. Everything happened...because he...I wasn't able to save you. That's why you need to live. If you live...and I...don't...we can be sure that I won't destroy the TSAB. This isn't fair, and I know that. But I have no intention of letting you just die here. Just...get that ring back to Asakura...and...tell my family...tell everyone...tell Sakura...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I love you...and I always will...so please...live..."

As I stepped back away from the cube, it began to pass through an invisible wall, leaving nothing behind...

Looking back at the red sky, I continued to climb the hill. To continue struggling and living. That goodbye was horrible and cliched...but it contained all my feelings. I really don't want to die...I want to live...I want to celebrate Sakura's birthday...I want to eat more of Oyaji's cooking...I want to argue with Kaa-san...I want to do so much more...

I finally made it to the top of the hill, and to my surprise, there was a river on the other side. No...there was more than that, there was grass, a street, traffic lights...this looks just like the river bank I was lying on when I first got the Black Devil Ärms.

I tried to take another step but my body couldn't take it and I just fell over and rolled down the hill, my body lying sprawled across the grass.

Looking up at the now blue sky...for all my talk about bonds and hope...for all the things I accused Null Enders of...this similar feeling...I can only laugh and say...

"Haha...I've never felt so alone..."

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	25. A Smile Once More

Author's notes

Not 100% satisfied with this chapter but decided to upload it anyway...

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**Chapter 25: A Smile Once More**

Three months have past since Subaru-san came back from the Dimension Sphere, which disappeared just as soon as she appeared in a soft light, without either Ghost or Yuuki-san with her. Everyone took their loss pretty hard; the ones who were hurt the most were Asakura-san, Subaru-san and Sakura-chan.

After Asakura-san treated Subaru-san's wounds, she and her soldiers disappeared as quickly as they appeared and no one has heard of them since. It was no surprise, she had lost her fiancé in an attempt to help us, who had nothing to do with her, have a better future than the one she was living in, and in the end she was left alone herself. Behind that mask…I wonder how she felt…not that I'd ever get the chance to find out now.

Subaru-san's injuries would have made it nearly impossible for her to function as a solider had it not been for Asakura-san and her knowledge of the Combat Cyborgs. She has started her rehabilitation and has trouble walking without the support of crutches. Asakura-san said that there was nothing wrong with her physically so Aoi-san believes that the problem is mental, that she still blames herself for his de-…for not being able to save him.

Aoi-san has drilled it in everyone that her son was still alive somewhere, on that other planet, trying to find a way back to us. I find it hard to believe, but she stands firm on it and refuses to hold any sort of funeral service for him. It seems like she's in denial…but when I asked her she told me, after dealing me "that" punishment, that she firmly believes it but I still think that she had to remain strong for Sakura-chan's sake.

The TSAB had begun rescue and relief efforts on the areas that were damaged during the short yet devastating war and every TSAB member who was on the Stargazer was given leave. I wanted to use this time to help Sakura-chan.

Sakura-chan…I remember when Subaru-san woke up from her operation; the horrible, heart-wrenching scream she let out then was burned into my memory. After that she seemed to have closed her heart to everyone as she hasn't said a word or even shown the slightest change in expression.

Aoi-san told me that this had happened before, when Yuuki-san left home due to his mental disorder and it took her three years to recover. This was probably the real reason why I traveled back to her home, the planet Earth, to take care of my first and best friend's little sister, as he no longer could.

Today, I'm taking her to her hometown, the place where she lived with him for the first six years of her life. I heard about this place from Shichiro-san; there was a certain place in this town that the two of them always played in before they moved to the place they lived in before all of this happened. Yuuki-san had said that he planned on taking her back here for a bit after we had stopped Null from destroying the TSAB…

This may seem like a bad idea, but she doesn't have anything left of her brother. All of their photos and belongings were destroyed by the Cyber Knights. If she could even show just a little bit of happiness…

I held her hand as we got off the bus at a stop in the middle of town. "Do you recognize this place?" I asked her softly. She looked around a bit before her head dropped to the ground. I couldn't tell if she did or didn't. I began to lead her around the town. Occasionally she would look up and take in the scenery but no matter where we went she didn't say a word.

I noticed an ice cream stand a further bit down the road. "Hey, do you want some ice cream?" I asked her as I pulled her over to it. However she simply ignored me and kept on staring at the ground.

It was passed noon by the time the two of us walked all over the town but nothing changed, she was as silent and expressionless as ever. With nothing else to do, I decided to take her home. As we headed toward a bus stop I felt her pulling against my hand. When I turned to look I see her staring at a field, or rather the tree in the middle of it. The field was large with many different flowers and plants. It seems like the people of this town take care of this field, treating it like a symbol of their town.

The moment I stopped to take a look Sakura's hand slipped from my grasp as she ran towards the tree in the center. I quickly chased after her, being careful not to walk over any flowers. When I caught up to her she was staring at the base of the tree with her hands on it. I slowly moved closer to see what she was doing.

She had her hands over two deep marks that were carved across the tree's side. They were parallel to each other and there were similar markings as looked up as if someone did the same thing year after year. Sakura moved her hand away from the bottom most one and I saw some writing over the lines…

"'YU' and 'SA'?" I read as I crouched down next to Sakura.

"Yuuki…and Sakura…" a small voice mumbled.

"Huh?"

Sakura had answered me. She was looking back at me after answering my question. "Onii-chan and I…did this when I was three," she explained as she placed her finger on the bottom line. "This is mine and this one is his," she pointed to one that was around her eye level. "Until we moved…we did this every year…I would always try to cheat…by standing on my toes…" her voice was hoarse since she hadn't spoken for such a long time but she was trying her best. "Now I'm taller than him when he was eleven even though I'm only ten…for the first time…I beat him…"

She gave me a soft smile as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Yeah," I replied as I turned my body to face her. "You did your best, right?"

She then ran into my chest and clutched my shirt with her hands and started crying. For the first time, she seems to have accepted her brother's disappearance. I didn't say anything as she continued to cry on my chest except wrapped my arms around her to try and comfort her as she released all of the emotions she had held inside her to this day. I believe she will get better starting today.

After she finally stopped crying, Sakura passed out in my arms. I carefully laid her under the shade of the tree and continued to examine the tree. I could only find five height marks. The top most one had 'YU' while the ones below had 'SA' next to them. If I had to guess, Yuuki-san probably challenged Sakura to grow taller than him when she reached eleven years old, but it looks like she already beat him.

I took out Flare Facón and made a small cut over the top line from memory where Sakura's head stood.

"What are you doing?" a voice behind he asked. I quickly hid my device and stood up. There was a woman standing on the path led up to the tree. She was wearing a hat that blocked her face from my view.

"Oh, I was just letting my friend rest while I look at this tree," I said as I touched and looked up at it.

"I see," she said as she walked up to me. "This tree really is an important part of this town's life after all." She touched the tree and looked at the growth marks. "Hmm, they're still here huh?"

"Hmm? Do you know about these?" I asked her.

"Yes. My family used to take care of these fields and quite a few years ago there was a pair of siblings that came up to this tree and decided to record their growth on this tree. I think it was around seven or eight years ago. I wonder how they're doing." She said looking at the markings.

"Well…the girl is the one sleeping below you," I said pointing down at Sakura who was mumbling something in her sleep.

"Oh, she's grown up quite well. What about her brother?"

"He's…been missing for three months now…"

Wait a minute…why am I talking to this woman about this?

"I see…by any chance would it happen to have been during that attack that occurred three months ago?" she asked.

"Huh? Uh…yes…"For some reason I couldn't lie or not answer her. It was if her voice demands the truth without her even wanting it. "He was trying to protect his family…"

"I see, was he a soldier as well?"

"A soldier? I guess-" I began but I stopped as I remembered the conversation we had so long ago. "No…he was just an ordinary man."

"I see…"

All she keeps saying is, "I see"…what's really on her mind?

"My fiancé was a soldier and he died then as well." She said this in such a "matter of fact" tone that it shocked me. As I continued to look at her in shock, she continued, keeping her face hidden from me.

"He was a friend of my brother's so he was about four or five years older than I was when we first met. Even though he was older than me, he never treated me like a child. He was kind and strong and I loved him. And then he died...trying to protect the lives of people that will never know who he was, leaving me behind."

I swallowed hard as for some reason, my throat was feeling dry as I listened to her story. But she had stopped talking and seemed content with just looking at the tree.

"So what brings you here today?" I asked.

"This was the place where he proposed," she said simply.

"I'm...sorry..."

"It's fine, really."

She then walked around the base of the tree, keeping her hand on the bark.

"So why are you here, really?" she asked.

"I...I wanted to help her," I said looking down at Sakura-chan. "She closed her heart to everyone, even her own family, and I was trying to get her to open up again...to accept her brother's...disappearance."

"It sounds like you don't think he simply disappeared."

"He made a promise to her...to return for her birthday. The man loved her. He wouldn't break a promise like that if he had any control. I think...he's no longer with us. If he was...he'd carry his broken body across the ocean to get back in time for the party."

The woman giggled at my hyperbole as she looked up at the tree's leaves.

"It sounds like the two of you were close."

"I can honestly and confidently say, that that man was my first and best friend. Even though I had only known him for a short while. He was everything I aspired to be...and I still do."

"And? What about her?"

She pointed down at Sakura-chan who was mumbling a bit louder but I couldn't make out anything.

"I...I just want to help her. To help her slowly accept the fact that her brother is gone, and move on. I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

"Hmm...do you like her?"

"Huh?" the question took me by surprise. I hadn't even considered that possibility. "She's...she's ten..."

"And you are?"

"Fift...fifteen..."

"So what's the problem? My fiance and I were five years apart as well. The average married couple has a five year difference in ages. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I..."

"Listen," she said coming closer to me. "Whether you plan it or not, you are going to be the biggest support this girl has. Even if you don't intend for it to be like that, she is going to bond with you. Perhaps it will be a brotherly love at first, but eventually, perhaps sooner than you could ever expect, those feelings will become a lot less innocent. If you truly wish to support this girl, you must be able to accept her feelings when that time comes."

Her face was so close to mine that the hat no longer covered it. She had a large burn scar running down the left side of her face and it seems to extend past her neck line. She also had bright amber eyes...and that voice...

"Wait...you're...!"

But she cut me off, not with words, but with her body. She had pressed her lips against mine. I could only stare dumbly at her as she pulled herself away and walked around me back toward the street.

She stopped for a few seconds and whispered into my ear.

"Take good care of her, okay?" she said. "You hit the jackpot with this."

I turned around trying to catch her but she had already disappeared, leaving behind her hat on the flagstones.

"No way...all this time...she...I...huh?" the information was too much for me to take in and I was unable to find the words for it. Luckily for me, Sakura-chan woke up.

"Alex-kun? What's wrong?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"No...nothing's wrong," I said as I picked up the hat and placed it on her head. "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yep!" she said with a smile.

Can you see this, Yuuki-san? This smile that you wanted to protect...has returned.

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	26. Promise Under the Blue Sky

Author's Notes

It's the freaking final chapter. Read it, review it, don't plan for anything else...

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**Final Chapter: The Promise Under the Blue Sky**

"But I have no intention of letting you just die here. Just...get that ring back to Asakura...and...tell my family...tell everyone...tell Sakura...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I love you...and I always will...so please...live..."

I could hear his voice getting further and further away. I couldn't lose him now...not when we were so close to each other. I couldn't move my left arm...but I still had my right arm!

"Please...work!"

The gears on my Revolver Knuckle began spinning with such ferocity that it seemed like it was going to break. But I didn't care...it could always be fixed! Countless empty cartridges shot out as I slammed my fist against the black cage, and to my surprise and relief, managed to break a hole in it.

I flailed my arm around desperate to grab Yuu-kun. I tried to look through the hole but couldn't really see anything. But, I felt it. I felt him grab my hand.

"Subaru...I..." I heard him say but then I felt the cage move. "Subaru...let go..."

"No! I won't!" I screamed at him, tightening my grip around his hand. "I'll never let go! I'm going to take you home!"

"Subaru...it's too late...I'll find another way..."

"If there was one you wouldn't be doing this!"

"Subaru! Let go now!"

Then I understood why he was telling me to let go. A sharp pain smashed into my arm and it felt like a bone snapped.

"Your arm is going to be crushed by the warp! Let go!"

"No! I won't! I definitely...won't!"

This is bad...I'm starting to feel light headed. On top of that, it feels like something is beating my arm with a sledgehammer. I felt another impact which was accompanied by a loud crack and I was unable to hold back a scream of pain.

"Subaru! Nnnngraaahhh!"

Yuu-kun let out a sharp cry before speaking with telepathy.

"Subaru...let go or I'm going to cut my arm off."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I pressed my face against the hole as much as possible and I saw him holding his other arm up with his teeth pressing his bladed fingers against his shoulder.

"It's useless...please...just let go before you get hurt even more..."

"I...I..."

I couldn't even if I wanted to. That last impact caused me to lose all feeling in my arm. I have nothing more than a death grip on his hand now. And then...one last impact hit the back of my hand. I couldn't feel anything, but I knew...it had forced his hand out of my grip as I felt myself being pulled away.

I found myself falling as the scenery changed from the black cage to one of a blue sky before hitting some water and then floating back to the top. There seems to be come sort of commotion. Large objects were moving around slowly like they were being dragged into something as two figures came into my sight.

"Is that...hey it's her!" one of the voices said.

"Subaru-san? What in the world...?" a second voice sounded concerned.

"Worry about that later, she needs treatment now!"

"But...where are the other two? Yuu-san and..."

"I said later!"

"You don't think they're..."

"Do you hear the words coming out of my mouth?"

They were closer now and one of them was waving something in front of my face but my vision was too blurred to make anything out.

"Oh damn, she hadn't the fortune to fall unconscious...can you hold her over there?"

"Her legs look injured too. There's a lot of blood and its seeping into the water."

"Right...let's push the stretcher underwater then and move it under her."

I felt my body being lifted from the water before my world went dark.

"...multiple cuts and lacerations all over the body...dozens of fractures...right arm splintered in two parts...once at the elbow and again at the fore arm...hand utterly crushed...left arm injuries similar to those that have been hit by RPGs...stab wound in the left leg...magical properties preventing synthetic regeneration...will have to let heal naturally..."

There was someone talking nearby. I tried opening my eyes but could only open my left one. My vision was also a little blurry.

"If it had been anyone else...with all these injures she should be...guess it pays to be literally made of iron."..hmm? Oh, you're awake..."

"Asa...san...?" I tried to speak but my body felt too unresponsive.

But she didn't answer me as she pulled open my eye and shined a light in it.

"Hmm...recovery seems a bit slower than normal...is the problem the stab wound...or perhaps something mental? Humph...preposterous.."

"I'm...I'm..."

"Quiet. Stop trying to talk."

She walked over to my left arm and undid its binds.

"Hmm...the integration of synthetic skin is perfect. I doubt even a dermatologist would be able to tell the difference...can you feel this?"

She pressed something cold against my arm and I nodded. She repeated with a bunch of things, making sure my sense of touch was working properly. She didn't say anything except when she wanted me to let her check something. Her silence hurts.

"How...how long...?"

"Three weeks. It will be three more months before you are back to your best. I'm afraid I won't be waiting that long. You're going to have to find a hospital somewhere else for any further treatment."

Three weeks...I've been asleep for three weeks?

"The portal disappeared the moment you came out. The area it had occupied has returned to normal, though a few of the Bureau's ships were damaged when they were pulled towards it when it was resetting itself. And we didn't get a location on the planet we saw either..."

In short...everything was a failure...

"I'm going to sedate you and prepare to hand you over to the TSAB. After that, I'm going to leave TSAB space. There is nothing left for me here after all. One mission succeeded...the other failed..."

I looked up at her. She had taken off her mask but my vision was still too blurry to see her face.

"Do...you...hate...me...?" I struggled to get the words out. I was scared of her reply but I needed to know. She seemed to be a bit taken back at my question since she didn't reply right away. Or perhaps she was just thinking it over.

"Blau...Defender Blau was like family to me," she said, placing her hand on the bed as she leaned closer to me. "I watched over her and helped her as she went from a blank slate to something close to human, even though it was against my overall plans. She was hot headed, selfish, and never knew when to keep her emotions to herself."

Asakura-san's stare was like daggers piercing through me. From what I saw in her memories...she was extremely similar to myself.

"But I could never hate her...and therefore I could never hate you. I love both of you too much to ever hate you. So don't ever ask me that again. And...thank you...for bringing it back to me..."

She held up the small ring that Yuu-kun told me to take before he disappeared. I didn't quite get it, but it seems like it was important to both Ghost and Asakura-san. As I felt a needle enter my arm, the door opened and I saw a brush of blue hair walk in before my eyelid dropped.

Three months have passed since then, and Mid-Childa was slowly rebuilding itself. Like Asakura-san said, I was able to be up and about but my left leg was still healing and my right arm was still in a full cast and I had to use a crutch but at least I was no longer confined to the hospital and I was able to see out of both eyes properly, even though my right eye is permanently yellow while my left is green. After receiving the okay, I decided to take a walk in the city for my rehabilitation.

People were going on and about with their busy lives, but the scars of the short war against Null Enders would take a long time to fully heal. The damage to the planet, the loss of lives, and the loss of security.

Having another attack so quickly after the JS incident cause the citizens to question whether or not the TSAB was truly up to the job of protecting them. Many riots had broken out, not just on this planet, but all across TSAB space. I wonder if this was Null Enders's plan all along.

But at the very least, things were changing. They had to, or else another powerful militant force would attack, costing more lives...more precious...lives...

Yuu-kun never came back. If I hadn't gone after him would he have been able to use that black cage to get back instead? But he was about to be killed when we found him...would Null Enders have been the one to come out instead? Why is this so hard?

"Then you should stop thinking about it," someone behind me said. I turned around and saw Aoi-san standing there, wearing a business suit. "Glad to see you are able to stand on your own too feet."

"Aoi-san...I..." I began but I didn't really know what to say to her. The entire family had been avoiding me the past three months. Sakura-chan came to visit in the hospital once to visit three months ago, but I haven't seen her since then, and neither Aoi-san nor Shichiro-san came at all. Did the family hate me?

"What's wrong? Did you have something you wanted to say to me?" she asked as she walked up to me. "Well I have a few things to talk about as well. Walk with me."

Although she said that, the two of us didn't say a word to each other and I had kept my head down the entire time. I would rather just turn around and walk away, but I was too scared to do so.

"It's become so pretty hasn't it?" she said suddenly.

I lifted my head and looked around. We were in a park that I hadn't seen before. It was filled with lush green grass and flowers. There were stone walkways throughout it and many people were sitting on benches or passing through admiring the scenery, especially the monument in the center.

"This place was bombed during the battle," Aoi-san explained. "The TSAB sure can do a good job when they get their asses into gear. Hard to believe this only took three months to restore. Though it was a building complex before. I suppose they're trying to win back the populace by doing community work or something. That gaudy monument was erected and opened recently to 'honor' those that gave their lives during the war."

We walked closer to the monument which was bigger than I initially thought. There were hundreds of names written on it and almost as many photos, no doubt of the same people, placed around it. There were also tons of bouquets and wreaths next to each picture.

I understand now...these people were not admiring the monument...they were...

I was knocked off balanced when a small girl bumped into my crutch, causing me to fall on top of her.

"Subaru?"

"I'm sorry!"

As Aoi-san bent over to help me up, an older girl came by and picked the smaller one up. She had short brown hair that almost reached her shoulders and had emerald green eyes and was wearing the uniform of the TSAB ground forces.

"I'm so sorry!" the elder girl apologized again as she bowed her head and forced the younger one to do the same. "Marika, apologize as well!"

"Sorry..." the girl called Marisa said emotionlessly. She looked around Sakura-chan's age, her soft sapphire eyes shined past her shoulder length cherry brown hair.

"No...it's okay!" I said quickly. "My cast didn't crack so its fine...umm...?"

"Oh, my name is Amia Lee," she said extending her hand. "This is Marika Lowell."

"I'm Subaru Nakajima," I said as I took her hand.

"Kimura Aoi," Aoi-san said stiffly. "Did you lose someone as well?"

Amia looked taken back by Aoi-san's bluntness but she nodded.

"Yes...my mother...and Marika lost both her parents...

"I see...my son, who is also her boyfriend, is currently MIA," Aoi-san said as she placed her hand on my shoulder. Although I didn't feel this was the time to add that, I was relieved to hear that as it meant she didn't hate me at least...probably. "Were they civillians?"

"No...they were defending the evacuation shuttles. According to the reports I read, it seems they were attacked by only three enemy soldiers that were more larger than the others."

I guess they were Titans. Having only fought by their side on Planet Earth, I could tell they were strong soldiers. Tea seemed to think so as well.

"They were stupid," Marika suddenly spoke up. "Why did they have to die protecting strangers? Why did they have to leave me alone?"

"Marika...they were trying to protect..." Amia began but Marika cut her off.

"If they wanted to do that then they should have got on the shuttle too!" she snapped. "They were supposed to be...on vacation...your mom was too!"

"But they were also the only ones there at the time..." Amia said softly.

"Three off duty mages sacrificing themselves to ensure evacuation shuttles could escape," Aoi-san said with her hand on her chin. "The TSAB sure was spread out."

"They came out of nowhere...it was a completely unprovoked attack..." Amia said not looking at Aoi-san.

"Ahaha, of course they would say that," Aoi-san laughed as she shook her head,

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Nothing, nothing...it isn't my place to say anything."

Amia however was looking right at Aoi-san.

"Umm...please don't take this the wrong way," she said slowly. "But you're the Blue Rose, aren't you?"

"And why would you think that?" Aoi-san asked, smiling.

"I picked up your communication at the Ground HQ. I'm a Communications Officer, and I thought I'd heard your voice somewhere before."

"And if I am?"

"I want to thank you for your timely arrival. It's thanks to you that we managed to repel the enemy's space fleet."

"Are you sure you want to thank me? Technically, I am a criminal."

"But your leadership prevented my father's ship from being shot down. Criminal or not, my father is alive thanks to you. The reinforcements you brought also prevented the enemy from attacking the evacuation center, saving Marika as well."

"That credit belongs to either Enforcer Edward Kaufman who lead the defense or the Captain that was in command of those reinforcements. Though I daresay she won't be contacted by anyone for a while. Though, it's nice to see someone with a flexible sense of things. I only hope the military tribunal does too."

"You're going to court?" I asked, in shock.

"In about three hours. I know there is no escaping jail time. I could always go back into hiding, but I don't like running away."

"Then shouldn't you be at the courthouse?" Amia asked.

"I let the aide they gave me handle the paper work. He's a smart and understanding boy. I think he's around your ages," Aoi-san added pointing to Amia and me.

"Understanding?" I asked.

"I wanted to see my daughter again before this. Speaking of which..."

She activated her device and a long scarf appeared in her hands. She then held onto one end as the other end went flying over to her right. There was a loud grunt followed by a scream as she fished someone out of the crowd.

"You're late boy," she said, disabling her device and kicking the boy in the head.

"I'm sorry Aoi-san," Alex-kun said as he rubbed his head. "But Sakura-chan had to use the restroom and we ended up missing the bus..."

"Alex-kun! Okaa-san!" a small voice called out to them as a little girl came running up to us. "Oh...Onee-chan too."

For some reason, that last line pained my chest. I turned away from her and started to walk away but Aoi-san grabbed me by the shoulder and kept me from leaving.

"I'm not running away, so don't you dare run away either," she said and I immeidaly stopped trying to escape as Sakura-chan walked up to me and touched my cast.

"Does it hurt?" she asked looking up at me.

"No...not any more," I replied. I couldn't bare looking at her face.

"Subaru?" Amia asked looking between me and Aoi-san.

"She was part of a small rescue team that tried to save my son," Aoi-san said bluntly. "Tried."

"Oh..."

Amia covered her mouth with her hand and became very quiet.

Was this Aoi-san's way of getting revenge? I never wanted to run away more than I do right now, but her nails were digging into my shoulder, as if warning me not to move.

"But she tried...that's all I can ask for."

I looked at Sakura with surprise. I never would have thought to hear her say that, especially since she looked like she had given up on everything when I saw her at the hospital. Did Alex-kun do something?

"Are you kidding me?" Marika, who had been extremely quiet the entire time, finally spoke up and was glaring at Sakura-chan. "She was supposed to save your brother and failed, and you are okay with that?"

"No one else was even trying!" Sakura shouted back. "Even though Onii-chan saved and protected everyone, no one even tried to rescue him when he needed help! They abandoned him because no one even was sure he was alive! But...Onee-chan tried. And I know he's still alive. And I believe he will come back!"

Marika was stunned at Sakura's words. Frankly, so was everyone else. The only one who wasn't was Aoi-san, who had her arms cross and was nodding with approval at her daughter's words.

"How...how can you be so strong?" Marika asked, her tiny body shaking. And finally, she seems to say what was really on her mind "Aren't you lonely?"

"Of course I am..." Sakura-chan replied. "But I Alex-Kun and Onee-chan with me. Don't you have anyone like that?"

Marika raised her head slightly before straightening up and turning to Amia, who smiled at her warmly, before nodding her head.

"I'm Marika..."

"I'm Sakura. Let's be friends okay, Marika-chan?"

"Okay..."

At this point Marika started crying as Amia comforted her. That's right...Yuu-kun promised that he'd come back someday. We just have to believe in him.

"That's why, Onee-chan..." Sakura-chan said as she grabbed by hand with both of her hands. "It's okay to be lonely...but don't be sad okay?"

"What is this?" I asked wiping my face. "Since when did you become so adult?"

That's because...last time Onii-chan went away," said looking down at her feet. "I would always cry. But when I stopped...he came home."

She then looked up, trying to keep a smile on her face.

"So if I stop crying...he'll be able to...come home sooner...right?"

"Sakura-chan..."

I knelt down and embraced her as hard as I could.

"It's okay...you don't have to hold it in," I whispered to her. "I won't tell anyone...it's okay to cry when you are sad."

I felt her tiny body shake as she began to whimper and felt her tears on my clothes.

"It's okay to feel lonely, but you don't have to be lonely alone. You're right. So let's wait. We'll wait for him together...is that okay?"

"Yeah...let's wait...forever..."

Yuu-kun...I don't know if you managed to get off of that planet of not...but we're still here, alive and waiting for you. I don't know how many days, months, or even years it'll take for you to come back, but your sister and I will be waiting.

But we will remain here...until the day you decide to come back to us...

And so...the seasons pass...and everyone continued to live the lives protected...

Sakura-chan and I were walking down the street together.

Two years have passed and yet another incident was wrapped up.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"It's just not fair," she replied shaking her head. "We only just become friends...I wanted Onii-chan to meet her too."

"She's only just going to sleep," I replied. "I'm sure she'll wake up when Yuu-kun comes back. Who knows, he might even be the one to wake her up."

"Like a prince charming?" Sakura-chan asked with a sly smile.

"No no no no no,I don't think, or want, him to go that far," I replied quickly waving my hand in front of my face.

"That's right. Onii-chan is your prince charming, right?"

"Hey now..."

She managed to let out a soft giggle as she spread her arms out and began walking on the edge of the curb.

"I hope Ix will wake up soon," she said softly. "Onii-chan might not like it if he saw her asleep."

"You're probably right...he's had enough pain dealing with look-a-likes. Well, we should hurry up and get back. Tea is going to treat me to dinner. Do you want to come to?"

"Huh? Is it okay?"

"Of course! You can't keep thinking on an empty stomach after all."

The two of us will continue living, and we will also continue waiting as I'm sure the day you come back is closer than I could ever hope for.

* * *

Author's Notes

HOLY CRAP I FINISHED? After three years, I actually finished this story? Hurray!

So...I wonder how many of you saw this ending coming? I sure as hell didn't.

I recommend listening to "The Place Where Wishes Come True II" when Marika and Sakura talk. It's really...moving...

The story changed a lot from my initial plans, mainly because I had moved on from the Nanoha series. Null Enders, as in Future Yuuki, was actually supposed the be the head of the Cyber Knights, an AU Yuuki that became power hungry and wanted to take over every single possible universe. Yeah, I realized that that was stupid, so the guy became a traitor to a larger empire instead. The story became more detailed and Null Enders became a much more complex character than I originally planned. I was gonna make him a complete monster, but he ended up being a somewhat fallen hero instead.

I also didn't even include Apfel and Blau in my original plans, but then I thought, what better way to make Null Enders more than an evil overlord than by giving him bodyguards of people that were close to him before he turned? Unfortunately, Apfel, like Teana, got shafted as far as the main story goes, being nothing more than semi-important side characters, though I did try to make them seem just a bit more important towards the end. Too bad I couldn't figure out a better way than with a god damn love triangle...but hey, romance...you gotta have one...sigh...seems a bit half ass...

Course, everything I did in the early chapters seem half ass and that's prob why no one would wanna read it. So I thank you, the few of you who stuck by me for these last few years.

And what about those Devil Arms huh? So many questions...yes oh so many questions left unanswered...

Who the hell is "The Creator?" Is "Yuuki" actually Yuuki, the son Shichiro remembers? How did Edward escape the exploding underground bunker? Did I just introduce new characters at the last chapter? Will Asakura find peace? Who were the people in that picture? What exactly was that planet? What happened to Null Enders? Is Yuuki dead?

I will totally never answer any of these questions in a sequel that is not going to happen any time soon, especially not one taking place after Sound Stage X. Really. Don't expect it. You'll just be disappointed.

No Really...don't...and all because you guys couldn't give me just two more reviews...

I wonder how far you can deny things before it starts sounding like sarcasm? Cuz you know...that's totally not sarcasm.

**Update July 14**: Yeah...I lied...big shock. Look for Devil Arms: ReturnerS for the sequel.


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